The unique status of the Isle of Man within the governance of the British Isles is widely misunderstood and the Island is linked in popular culture with tailless cats, TT races and a famous water wheel.

Ellan Vannin as it is known in the island’s native tongue (Manx) is not part of Great Britain (which is solely composed of England, Wales and Scotland) nor is it part of the United Kingdom (the afore-mentioned three nations, plus the six counties of Northern Ireland).

It is a self governing island, a dependency of the British Crown, an independent member of the British Commonwealth where the British Monarch holds the title of Lord of Man. It has its own government (the Executive) and its own parliament which is claimed to be the oldest continuous parliament in the world. The Tynwald is composed of independent members free from the binds of party affiliation and none of the British political parties are represented on the island. It has not always enjoyed this special status and until the 1970s was essentially viewed as a “colony” of the British Empire with considerable degree of rule from Westminster.

The Manx regard themselves as a distinct ethnic group which is neither English or British but part of the “Celtic” group of nations which includes Ireland, Scotland, Cornwall, Wales and Brittany and the Manx language is akin to Scottish and Irish Gaelic. The historical reality is that the island has been strongly influence by a Norse culture, being part of the Kingdom of Mann and the Isles for nearly two hundred years. It was during the 11th century that the Tynwald (from the Old Norse Þingvóllr) was established, making it the oldest continuous parliament in the world. There was extensive trade with Norway and other parts of the Norse kingdom including parts of the Scottish mainland, the Hebrides and Orkney and Shetland.

The Tynwald is a bicameral Parliament made up of the Legislative Council as the upper chamber and the House of Keys to which members are elected by universal franchise of residents of the Island over the age of 16.

In 1266, as dictated in the Treaty of Perth, Norway's King Magnus VI ceded the isles to Scotland. The Isle of Man came under English control in the fourteenth century and to the British Crown in 1765. Although Mann had some involvement with Scotland during the Middle Ages, it became increasingly tied to England politically, and anglicised as a result. The Manx complained that they were little more than an appendage of England and had little control over their own destiny. In 1805 tax revenues of the Island were merged in the Consolidated Fund of the United Kingdom. This raised a great deal of concern by the Islanders.

The House of Keys (HK) sent a deputation to London. The gentlemen comprising it asserted that insular taxation could not constitutionally be increased without the consent of the insular Legislature, and the London Government withdrew, or at any rate abandoned for the time, the proposal of increased duties. A series of measures throughout the mid 19th century handed back to the HK powers to retain surplus revenue collected on the Island. A significant measure took place in 1866 when the Reform Act conferred a degree of Home Rule. Tynwald was practically given a free hand, and was allowed to manage its own affairs in its own way.

A happy people

A former Governor to Man, Spencer Walpole wrote of the Islanders in 1893:

“They have no income-tax, no death-duties, and, except a small duty on beer, no excise. They have no grave political questions, no domestic troubles, no foreign policy. Thus of them it may be truly said, that " Happy are the people that are in such a case."”

For many of the Manx however this did not go far enough and it was to be another 80 years before direct rule from Westminster was finally removed.

Until 1949, the Island was essentially a British colony; the Legislative Council was composed entirely of Crown appointments and the Legislature controlled all the Boards.

The Keys unsuccessfully suggested that two appointed members of the Legislature be replaced by two members elected indirectly by the House of Keys. The high-handed behaviour of Lord Raglan (Lieutenant Governor 1903-1919) enjoyed solid support from the UK Home Office and, in 1911, the Keys actually refused to progress any matters for two months. This forced a UK commission into constitutional review (The MacDonnell Commission). The results were hardly breathtaking but it did signal the limitation of governors' terms to five years.

Colonial abuse continued; the Island was used as a large scale detention centre during the Second World War. The UK used both the Legislature and the "Royal Assent" to block and frustrate the Keys but, after the Second World War, a different situation prevailed: A fresh UK Labour Government, a collapsing British Empire and UN resolutions brought a new willingness to decolonise administratively.

Changes were discussed from 1949 on, leading to the transfer of Treasury powers to Tynwald in 1958.  Westminster remained firmly opposed to erosion of the Lieutenant Governor's executive status and the Home Office made it clear to the Keys that any attempt to legislate away such power would be ultimately obstructed.

Nonetheless, 60 years of pressure for reform had led to a House of Keys with a toe in the door of the Legislative Council. The 1970s saw, at long last, a reduction in the Lieutenant-Governor's powers and a move towards a Tynwald executive.
 
Resurgent nationalism

The Manx people are a minority in their own island homeland. The 2001 census showed 47.6% of the population actually born on the island with a staggering 37.2% born in England. Families stating to be of Manx ethnic origin can be found throughout England and Scotland and Ohio in the USA.

A language is a vital historical and cultural asset which marks out a people as different and helps provide a sense of identity. The Manx language, closely related to Irish and Scottish Gaelic has largely died out in part to due to efforts by the Westminster Establishment to eradicate its use throughout three centuries of power.

Arthur W. Moore (1853-1909) was a Manxman who did much to save the language which was in rapid decline even in his day. He collected a vast vocabulary and traced its linguistic history. In 1899 he founded the Manx Language Society and became its first president, thus becoming the spiritual forefather of the neo-Manx language movement. He in 1893 edited for the Manx Society for the Publication of National Documents "The Book of Common Prayer in Manx Gaelic", the earliest and longest manuscript in the language. He sought to conserve not only the language but the music, lore, and tradition of the island. He founded and edited the Manx Notebook as well as writing a History of the Isle of Man and many other historical works on the Island. He was also greatly involved in the revival of the Manx language and was the official translator of Acts of Tynwald into Manx.

The 1991 census showed that only 643 people (less than 1% of the population) spoke the language.

However changes have occurred in recent years with the opening of the first all-Manx language primary school, Bunscoill Ghaelgagh, the Manx Gaelic Primary School, based in St John's.

There is a growing interest in the language with a growing number of bi-lingual street signs and regular Manx language slots on the island’s main commercial station. In 2007 one of the island’s newspapers sent a team of its reporters to learn the basics of the language and the island now has a dedicated Manx language development officer sponsored by the Manx Heritage Foundation. The annual Cooish Festival held each November sees Manx musicians, dancers and performers return to the island from around the world for a week long celebration of Manx culture.

Families with the following surnames are likely to be of Manx descent: Callin, Faragher, Kaneen, Kennaugh, Kewley, Kerruish, Kissack, Kneale, Kneen, Mylchreest, Qualtrough, Quayle, Quiggin, Quilliam, Quirk, Shimmin,

A nationalist agenda

An acute housing shortage, especially affordable homes for young people and key workers native to the island, priced out of the market by wealthier migrants from southern England in particular, as well as the neglect of the language gave rise to a short outburst of militant nationalism in the 70s and 80s with attacks on houses of English settlers. This gave way to a non-violent, politically organized nationalism.  

Mec Vannin is the island’s longest surviving nationalist party but does not have any representation in the HK. It advocates republican status for Man, promotes a greater degree of economic self-sufficiency and controls on land use.

On immigration Mec Vannin’s manifesto states:

In a small island nation such as ours, in default of policies to control the growth of the finance sector, policies to control the size of the population are essential for the achievement of economic, ecological and cultural sustainability. The rapid and unnatural population increase, due to an open door policy on immigration, has increased the burden on the island's infrastructure and environment whilst eroding the fabric of community life. As a result, Mec Vannin believes the immediate introduction of immigration controls to be a priority.

On international finance:

Mec Vannin remain fundamentally opposed to the presence of the international finance industry in Mann. We believe it to be morally dubious for both ourselves and for its effects upon the Third World.

From an economic standpoint, we do not believe that reliance upon this transient industry will secure our long-term future.

On land use:

We must increase our self sufficiency with improved land utilisation and co-ordination between the Government and the industry. Particular consideration should be given to increasing the effectiveness of the marketing societies in respect of promotion and long term planning for the industry. There should be greater opportunities for youth to enter the industry and stricter controls on the conversion of agricultural land to "palatial gardens" and "Gentleman's estates".

On the media:

Our society's perception of itself and its current affairs are in the hands of the media. Consequently a healthy independent media will ensure a healthy perception of the society. An independent commission should be established to issue and monitor a code of practice.

With specific reference to radio, it must be seen that this has come to provide an indispensable service to the community, and should be licensed with certain terms and conditions that must be met by the licensee, such as news coverage, and cultural support. 

Every ethnic group which wishes to survive in an age of globalism should look very carefully at the ownership and editorial stance of the media that serve that ethnic group. Foreign ownership coupled with an editorial stance which is not sympathetic to the long term survival of that ethnic group must be challenged.

The Isle of Man doesn’t have its own television channel but receives in the new digital format BBC, ITV (Border), C4 as well as reception of the Irish RTE on the west coast and the UK wide satellite channels.

All three of the island’s newspapers, Isle of Man Courier, Isle of Man Examiner, and Isle of Man Independent are owned by the Johnston Press Group, a struggling newspaper PLC which was partly bought over by a Malaysian investment fund in June 2008.

Manx Radio is a joint venture, partly funded by the Isle of Man government and private finance. Plus there is the smaller Energy FM set up and run by “locals” with an emphasis on “local” news.

The local anthem, "Arrane Ashoonagh Dy Vannin" was given official status in 2001 as the Manx national anthem by the Manx parliament, yet the anthem dates back originally to 1770. William Henry Gill composed the anthem basing it on a traditional Manx melody called Mylecharaine.

Man may be home to the smallest ethnic group in the entire British Isles and western Europe but the people’s dogged determination to see their culture survive and growing concerns about the recent wave of migration from England has reinforced the native’s sense of uniqueness. The resurgent nationalism of the past 30 years may well ensure the Manx identity survives for another 1000 years.

Useful links

A chronology of Manx history
Mec Vannin