Reforming the Legislative Council: What is a second chamber for in a small democracy?

Join Professor Peter Edge of Oxford Brookes University and Reayrtys for an evening of constitutional questioning focused on LegCo.

Members of Tynwald sit in two branches – the House of Keys and the Legislative Council. For more than a century, the Legislative Council has been a centre for constitutional questioning – how many Church officers should sit in the Legislative Council; how many Deemsters should sit in the Council; how many MLCs should be elected by the House of Keys, and how should the Keys elect these members; should the Council be able to block or just delay the Keys; should members of the Council be involved in government?

Although the Manx constitution is unique, the problems of constitutional design facing the Isle of Man are shared by other small democracies. Bicameralism – having a legislature with two distinct chambers – is much less common for small democracies than for large ones. Why is bicameralism such an uncommon choice in small democracies? What does it do for bicameral small democracies? How do small democracies that have rejected, or never adopted, bicameralism cope? How do they try to replicate the advantages of bicameralism? What lessons might looking at these other small democracies have for the future of the Manx constitution?

The event will feature a guest lecture from Professor Peter Edge, a political panel with Dudley Butt (former MLC), Hazel Hannan (former MHK) and Alistair Ramsay (political journalist) and conclude with an interactive session where attendees will be asked to share their thoughts on what the future of the Legislative Council may hold.

The event will be held in Douglas City Council Chamber, in Douglas City Hall.