Jurisdiction. Nation. Crown Dependency. Island. Country. At one time or another, you’ve probably heard the Isle of Man referred to as one or all of the above.
It’s easy to think that how we describe ourselves doesn’t matter - that in the context of Manx politics, there are bigger fish to fry. Still, earlier this year, when giving evidence to the Constitutional Legal Affairs and Justice committee, we were asked whether we thought the ‘Crown Dependency’ was an appropriate name to describe our country.
We gave a fairly balanced, if a little bland, answer but after taking some time to reflect, we think that it’s worth another look.
Despite ‘Crown Dependency’ sounding historic, many people are shocked that it’s a relatively recent addition. Looking through British and Manx Hansard, references to the ‘CDs’ only began in the latter part of the 20th Century - however, it's important to note that there were references to the Isle of Man being a 'dependency' and 'territory' of the Crown before then. At various points, the Isle of Man was called a country, nation and state and it seemed to vary depending on who you were speaking with.
Whilst actual origin of how and when the term 'Crown Dependency' become our official moniker has been difficult to track down, former Chief Minister of Guernsey Gavin St Pier suggests (although this isn't verified) that it was simply a shorthand, bestowed on us by a Whitehall civil servant who was tired of writing out the names of all three countries every time they came up.
The logic behind our name is as follows; ‘Crown’ because, unlike Bermuda or Gibraltar our relationship with the British Crown, rather than the UK Government and ‘Dependency’ because…why not?
You have to admit it seems a little strange for a nation which prides itself on its ‘independence’ to settle for a descriptor which bakes in the idea that we are dependent on another country.
Even the aforementioned Bermuda and Gibraltar saw their collective names change in the early noughties to reflect their decreased dependence on the UK, switching from British Dependent Territories to Overseas Territories. Yet we have stuck with the ‘CD’ name throughout.
And there may be some logic to doing so. It has been suggested that the term 'Crown Dependency' in ‘underwrites us’, giving a sense of security to businesses looking to invest and other countries looking to engage with us, that if all goes to hell, they can sit easy knowing that the UK will step in if necessary to steer us to smoother waters.
Whether it’s a speech by the Chief Minister, a strategy document by Business Isle of Man or a social post by Tynwald you would be hard-pressed to find the words country, nation or state in the copy,
And if you look at how the Isle of Man Government refers to the Isle of Man, it’s pretty clear that they’re keen to reinforce this message. Whether it’s a speech by the Chief Minister, a strategy document by Business Isle of Man or a social post by Tynwald you would be hard-pressed to find the words country, nation or state in the copy, you will however, see one phase pop up over and over again - ‘jurisdiction’.
This word has become the default informal descriptor for the Isle of Man working in tandem with Crown Dependency to reassure potential investors and the UK government that we’re business-focused and not totally bonkers.
But do these phrases accurately reflect the Isle of Man?
TL;DR: No.
As we have said before, language matters (see the Chief Minister’s recent reference to the ‘Mainland’). We’re an Island with thousands of years of history and a unique culture and language, we may not be sovereign but we control our territory and borders, pass our laws and have our own money - we tick more of the ‘country’ boxes than England, Scotland and Wales, so why are we so sheepish about calling ourselves one?
‘Crown Dependency’ may have been seen to be suitable in a time when home rule was on the rise but it’s clear that in 2023, it’s simply inaccurate, outdated even in the context of other non-sovereign states and could even give the wrong impression, to ambitious foreign politicians or businesses who may not see us as masters of our fate.
More than that, you don’t often hear sports fans asking each other which ‘jurisdiction’ they support and or tell romantic tales of the ‘jurisdiction’ which gave them their tax code. If we want to retain Manx people and form connections with the Isle of Man which last, maybe we shouldn't shy away from using more emotive language.
We think that as part of the package of reforms to our constitutional relationship, the Isle of Man should look to retire the ‘Crown Dependency’ name.
We think that as part of the package of reforms to our constitutional relationship, the Isle of Man should look to retire the ‘Crown Dependency’ name and instead choose a title that more accurately represents our current status and we are not the only ones.
In his submission to the Constitutional Legal Affairs and Justice Committee, Speaker of the House of Keys Juan Watterson suggests that the term Crown Kingdoms and former CM of Guernsey Gavin St Pier suggests Crown Dominions and we think both could work. However, we would encourage the Manx, Jersey and Guernsey governments (yes, this probably requires all of us), to not limit their focus and not be bound by attempting to fit an existing acronym. This issue isn’t unique to territories which have a relationship with Britain; the Netherlands, New Zealand and Denmark all have dealt with similar issues in coming up with collective names for increasingly autonomous parts of their territory.
We also think in line with this, the Isle of Man government should get more comfortable with using the term ‘country’ and encourage its use in official government communications. We believe that this term is more understandable for Manx people, external observers and businesses and is a far more accurate representation of our current competencies.
Think we’re on the money or well off the mark? We want to hear from you. Get in touch at hello@reayrtys.com
This article was updated on the 7th January 2024.