History and Government
History
The original inhabitants were the Neolithic and Mesolithic tribes, followed by the people of the Bronze Age and the Celts whose civilisation is the basis of Manx culture. Christianity was introduced during the fifth and sixth centuries. The Scandinavian Vikings arrived over 1000 years ago and from 979 to 1266 Norse rule prevailed in the establishment of the Kingdom of Man and the Isles. The Vikings founded the Tynwald Parliament, which has a continuous unbroken tradition and celebrated its millennium in 1979. After a brief period of Scottish rule, the Kingdom of Man passed to the English Crown, eventually being given in 1403 to Sir John Stanley, whose descendants were Lords of Man for 362 years before the Lordship reverted to the crown by purchase. During this period, the island became a haven for smuggling operations. In recent years, the Isle of Man has become notable for its distinct tax status and rigid social mores reflected by the use of ‘birching’ in schools and illegality of homosexuality.
Government
The Isle of Man is not constitutionally part of the UK; it is a self-governed dependency of the crown within the British Commonwealth. The parliamentary institution of Tynwald (a word which comes from the Old Norse ‘thing’ meaning assembly and ‘vollr’ meaning field) comprises the Legislative Council and the 24 elected members of the House of Keys legislates for the island, levies taxation and has control of the island’s finances. A contribution is paid annually to the UK Treasury. The Acts of Tynwald require the royal assent, and are proclaimed to the people in July each year at the open-air assembly on Tynwald Hill at St John’s, thus maintaining the Norse tradition. The Government of the Isle of Man maintains its own education, health, national insurance, social security, police, postal and other public services.
|
History and Government