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Lisvane's Legacy? Constitutional reform in the Isle of Man

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 September 2019

Peter W Edge
Peter W Edge*
Affiliation:
Centre for Global Politics, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
*
*Author email: [email protected]
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Abstract

The Isle of Man is a largely autonomous dependent territory of the UK. In 2016, Lord Lisvane was commissioned to report on the functioning of the principal organ of governance, the Tynwald. This Lisvane Review has led to substantial constitutional reform within this small democracy, particularly in relation to the unelected second chamber of Tynwald, the Legislative Council. This reflects an ancient tension within the Manx constitution between the House of Keys, since the mid-nineteenth century a directly elected chamber, and the unelected Legislative Council. The Lisvane period saw important changes to the composition and powers of the Legislative Council, as well as gender diversity within Tynwald as a whole. Placing the Manx experience within a broader small democracy theoretical and comparative framework demonstrates not only the possibility of constitutional reform, but also provides insights into resources for constitutional development, the special challenges of managing intimacy, and the dangers of over-concentration of power in a small democracy.

Keywords

constitutional reformsmall statesCrown dependencyIsle of Man
Type
Research Article
Information
Legal Studies , Volume 40 , Issue 1 , March 2020 , pp. 22 - 41
Copyright
Copyright © The Society of Legal Scholars 2019

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109 The President, 10 T134 at 225–226 (http://www.tynwald.org.im/business/hansard/20002020/t161004.pdf).

110 See the discussion by Mr Quayle, in the later debate at 310 K135 at 1230 (http://www.tynwald.org.im/business/hansard/20002020/k171219.pdf (accessed 28 August 2019)).

111 Council of Ministers (Amendment) Bill 2016.

112 Mr Thomas, 308 K135 at 1112–1113.

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114 Mr Malarkey noted the absence of a number of MHKs, who he categorised as supporters of the motion.

115 Tynwald Proceedings, above n 72, at 1113-4; discussed further in Part 4(a) below.

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