These days, disputes are settled peaceably at the ballot box, and there is no real party system in the Tynwald, which some citizens see as a modern form of Athenian democracy. But much is at stake in elections on Thursday.
Located in the Irish Sea, the Isle of Man is a geopolitical oddity: It is not technically part of the United Kingdom but is instead a crown dependency. Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state, but the island is self-governing and reliant on Britain for its defense. It is not a member of the European Union, but its close ties to Britain mean that it effectively trades under Europe’s system of tariffs and customs duties. [...]
The Isle of Man may look and feel like coastal Britain, but it guards its independence, and it values symbols of nationhood. It issues its own bank notes; flies a flag with a distinctive, three-legged symbol; and takes pride in its world-famous TT motorbike races. The island has seen a revival of Manx, its indigenous language of Celtic origin, and people here bristle at mention of Britain as the mainland, referring to visits there as going “across.” [...]
Interest in the elections is high, judging from the crowded meeting, which lasted more than two hours. But aside from a direct democracy campaigner, James Hampton, who described himself as the “alternative candidate,” there were few ideological dividing lines among the five candidates there, who are campaigning for two seats. Apart from abortion, election issues included topics such as plans for the main bus terminal and the finances of the meat plant and local ferry company.
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