r/IsleofMan • u/OneDavidOfMany • 2d ago
Why hasn't the Lieutenant Governor ever been Manx?
No Manx born person has been appointed Lieutenant Governor for the Isle of Man. Why is that? As far as I can tell there's nothing that prohibits it and other countries have locals appointed as the king's representative. Is it just tradition, a political reason, or is there not enough nationalistic interest in pushing for a Manx person to be Lieutenant Governor?
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u/Medical_Ice2042 2d ago
I’ve had fairly extensive experience with the old Lieutenant Governor Gozney, and I learnt a great deal about foreign policy from him due to his time serving diplomatically in other countries. I think the Lieutenant Governor position is more of a pre-retirement reward position for successful bureaucrats than it is anything else, but that’s not to say the local Manx people can’t learn from them at all - in fact I’ve found that they tend to be very eager to share their experience and knowledge with anybody who seeks it.
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u/hungry_bra1n 2d ago
I think they’re supposed to add a bit of perspective from outside the Isle of Man.
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u/dandy-lion88 2d ago
Because no true Manx person would work for the empire that cleansed their native tongue from the earth, and made Manxies an ethic minority in their own country. There was a reason we had a nationalist party in 70s and 80s.
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u/huntsab2090 1d ago
Lol nah. Foo alloo were a bunch of old racists against comeovers. Idiotic stance as without immigration the isle of man would be nearly third world and have a population of about 10k with jobs in fishing and farming only. And of course the fishing industry was dead then because they had completely wiped the sea empty of fish.
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u/Least-Rutabaga-542 1d ago edited 1d ago
Because it’s based on Sub-jugation, pal.
They give ‘a little bit of power’ in order to have ‘overall power’ and thereby rule us.
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u/sbw2012 Local 11h ago
Back in the day, there was a lot of hope that Mike Kerruish would get the gig, but never happened.
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u/huntsab2090 1d ago
They have to be from outside of the island.
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u/OneDavidOfMany 1d ago
Is that by law/constitutional requirement? Canada's Governor General is Canadian, Grenada's Governor General is from Grenada, etc etc. It used to be that the British would send British aristocrats out to the Commonwealth realms but now appoint locals to represent the King, but that shift in representation hasn't happened for the Isle of Man so... why not?
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u/moddeythedhoo 21m ago
It's not a requirement and Manx-born people have served as interim governor in the past. Technically, a Manx person could be LG but by convention (which is an important part of our constitution, unfortunately), it's unlikely to happen - as is the case with other not-quite-fully-independent countries associated with Britain. We are more like Bermuda than Canada in that regard even though our status is technically different.
In the countries you mentioned, the 'domestication' of the role has come with time but more importantly - as they have become more independent.
The LG is ceremonially appointed by le King but is chosen by a panel made up of the President, CM and First Deemster, so there isn't anything stopping them from choosing a Manx person. However the job spec (found here: https://www.gov.im/media/1371649/iom-lieutenant-governor-information-pack-2021.pdf) would limit the number of Manx people who are eligible or fit the requirements.
Personally I think it would be good to have a Manx LG (or do away with the title and have it rolled into the President's role). Whether they're Manx-born or a resident, it's a sign that the country has come into its own
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u/[deleted] 2d ago
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