Tynwald -Parliament of the Isle of Man

The Isle of Man is a crown dependency which has its own laws, courts, and government. The Government on the Isle of Man is a parliament called Tynwald. Dating back to Viking origins over 1,000 years ago, Tynwald is the oldest legislature in the world in continuous existence .Tynwald was an open air meeting at midsummer. There islanders could come and hear the laws, seek justice, or speak their thoughts. This tradition continued throughout the viking rule, which lasted from 800 AD to 1266 AD, then passed on through Scottish rule, before ending up in British rule around 1405 AD.

The island's first English King was Sir John Stanley of Lancashire. In the 16th century the title King was replaced by Lord and in 1765 the title Lord of Man was passed to the British Crown and hence it has been. The Lieutenant Governor is the British Crown representative on the Isle of Man. The Governor is technically the executive head of the government, but in recent years this role has taken the form of vice-regal since most of his duties are now undertaken by Tynwald Government Departments or the Council of Ministers.

There are two branches to the Tynwald Parliament, the House of Keys and the Legislative Council. Every five years the House of Keys is dissolved by the Lieutenant Governor and a General Election is held to elect members of the House of Keys. The House of Keys is the Lower Branch of Tynwald, which consists of 24 members who represent single member and multi member constituencies. The members of the House of Keys are directly elected by the people of the Isle of Man.

The majority of Members sit as independents, and the virtual absence of party politics has contributed to the remarkable stability of the Manx .The Legislative Council is the upper branch and contains the President of Tynwald, Attorney General, Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man, 3 ex officio, and 8 members elected by the House of Keys. Separately these branches will consider bills, which can be passed into law with a majority vote from each branch. When these two branches meet together in the Tynwald Chamber, they form the Tynwald Court. This court decides important things like government administration and funding. When Tynwald normally meets the President of Tynwald presides, keeping order throughout the sitting. The House of Keys elect a Speaker who will keep order at in house meetings and voice their views at Tynwald sittings. 

Tynwald often takes the laws passed in the UK to be considered for the island. Not all the laws passed in the UK are relevant to the Isle of Man. This is why consideration is required, to work out what is best for the needs of the Island. Some notable differences in laws between the UK and the Isle of Man are buying cigarettes is 18 not 16, driving is 16 not 17 and pubs can be open 24 hours a day.

The two branches sit separately throughout the parliamentary year principally to enact primary legislation; they sit together as Tynwald Court mainly to debate matters of policy, approve delegated legislation and to adopt financial motions. On 5th July each year, Tynwald Court assembles in the open air on Tynwald Hill at St. John's, a Viking site of the Manx parliament, to conduct parliamentary business and receive petitions for redress from aggrieved citizens.   By: Shabina Sanad GOWEALTHY.COM © 2006 For comments: editor@gowealthy.com