The Isle of Man, also known as Mann, is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Governor. The government of the United Kingdom is responsible for the isle's military defence and represents it abroad.
Tynwald, or more formally, the High Court of Tynwald or Tynwald Court, is the legislature of the Isle of Man. It consists of two chambers, known as the branches of Tynwald: the directly elected House of Keys and the indirectly chosen Legislative Council. When the two chambers sit together, they become "Tynwald Court".
The House of Keys is the directly elected lower house of Tynwald, the parliament of the Isle of Man, the other branch being the Legislative Council.
The Crown Dependencies are three offshore island territories in the British Islands that are self-governing possessions of the British Crown: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey, both located in the English Channel and together known as the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland. They are not parts of the United Kingdom (UK) nor are they British Overseas Territories. They have the status of "territories for which the United Kingdom is responsible", rather than sovereign states. As a result, they are not member states of the Commonwealth of Nations. However, they do have relationships with the Commonwealth and other international organizations, and are members of the British–Irish Council. They have their own teams in the Commonwealth Games.
The Legislative Council is the upper chamber of Tynwald, the legislature of the Isle of Man. The abbreviation "LegCo" is often used.
Tynwald Day is the National Day of the Isle of Man, usually observed on 5 July.
The Manx Labour Party is a political party on the Isle of Man that was founded in 1918.
An act of Tynwald is a statute passed by Tynwald, the parliament of the Isle of Man.
A Deemster is a judge in the Isle of Man. The High Court of Justice of the Isle of Man is presided over by a deemster or, in the case of the appeal division of that court, a deemster and the Judge of Appeal. The deemsters also promulgate the Laws on Tynwald Day by reading out brief summaries of them in English and Manx.
The Isle of Man Government is the government of the Isle of Man. The formal head of the Isle of Man Government is the Lieutenant Governor, the personal representative of the Lord of Mann. The executive head is the Chief Minister.
The lowest courts in the Isle of Man are the summary courts, Coroner of Inquests, Licensing Court, Land Court, etc. These courts are presided over by magistrates. There are two stipendiary magistrates, the High Bailiff and the Deputy High Bailiff, along with lay justices of the peace.
Peter Karran is a Manx politician, who is a former leader of the Liberal Vannin Party and former Minister of Education and Children. He was a Member of the House of Keys for Middle, and then for Onchan, from 1985 to 2016.
The legal system on the Isle of Man is Manx customary law, a form of common law. Manx law originally derived from Gaelic Brehon law and Norse Udal law. Since those early beginnings, Manx law has developed under the heavy influence of English common law, and the uniqueness of the Brehon and Udal foundation is now most apparent only in property and constitutional areas of law.
The Liberal Vannin Party is a political party in the Isle of Man. It was founded in 2006 by Peter Karran, then an Independent MHK for Onchan. Karran had been, until 2004, a member of the Manx Labour Party. The "Vannin" in the party name is a form of the name of the Isle of Man in the native Manx Gaelic language, while "Liberal" is a reference to the general political position of the party. The party is currently led by Lawrie Hooper MHK.
William Mackay Malarkey was a Manx politician, who was elected Liberal Vannin MHK for Douglas South but later defected from the party and sat as an independent. In the 2011 general election he lost his seat to Liberal Vannin candidate Kate Beecroft. He was re-elected at a by-election in May 2015 as an independent candidate, and retained his seat for Douglas South in September 2016.
The Isle of Man is not part of the United Kingdom, but to a large extent its relations with other countries are handled by the United Kingdom.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the Isle of Man:
The lieutenant governor of the Isle of Man is the Lord of Mann's official personal representative in the Isle of Man. He has the power to grant royal assent and is styled "His Excellency".
The War Consultative Committee was a body set up by the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man William Leveson-Gower, 4th Earl Granville in November 1939, and which functioned as a 'war cabinet' of sorts on the island during the Second World War. For Granville, the function of the War Consultative Committee would be to provide advice to him on the legislation, policy and the daily affairs of the island. The Committee had no specific constitutional status.
Kathleen Joan "Kate" Costain is a Manx politician who is a former Leader of the Liberal Vannin Party and was a Member of the House of Keys for Douglas South from 2011 to 2020. She changed her surname from Beecroft to Costain in 2019.
