When is a political party not a political party?

Ahead of the September General Election, we've been finding out

When is a political party not a political party?

No, that's not the start of an only marginally funny joke, I'm afraid.

But it is a question that is becoming increasingly relevant as we gear up for a General Election here on the Isle of Man. (Have I mentioned it before? I feel like I've not mentioned it...)

So let's get into it.

What is a political party on the Isle of Man?

Under the Elections (Keys and Local Authorities) Act 2020, a political party is defined as: 

"An organisation, howsoever called, one of whose fundamental purposes is to participate in the public affairs of the Island by supporting or otherwise endorsing a candidate at an election of the Keys."

In simple terms, it's a group that exists to support candidates it backs in an election.

What role do political parties play here?

While we do have political parties on the Island, they don't hold the same weight as they do in the UK.

There, most election candidates align themselves to a party, and they then campaign under that banner.

If elected, they're then usually bound by the party whip, and vote in the way they're told to.

Here though, the vast majority of Members of the House of Keys, and those who contest the election, are independent candidates.

This means they're not aligned to any party, and have autonomy over which policies they want to support or oppose.

Those who are aligned to a party also aren't necessarily bound to vote in the same way, although as you might expect, they usually do.

And while having predominantly independent members has its perks, it can make it slightly more challenging to get policies over the line, because politicians have to convince 23 individuals to support them rather than just the parties.

Which parties are currently registered on the Isle of Man?

At the moment, there are only three.

They are: the Isle of Man Green Party, Liberal Vannin and the Manx Labour Party.

How does a political party get registered?

First an application must be made, which has to have at least 20 registered electors supporting it.

It then has to go to the Attorney General to make sure it meets all the legal requirements.

The Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) will then formally either approve or reject the application.

What happens if a candidate stands for election under an unregistered party?

Doing this is actually a criminal offence, and it comes with a pretty hefty fine too.

If a candidate accepts support from a political party that isn't registered, they are the ones deemed to be at fault.

It means they could get a conviction and a fine of up to £10,000, which would be attributed to the candidate, not the party.

Could we see more political parties in time for this election?

It is possible, but it's getting less and less likely with each passing week.

It's a busy time of year for the Attorney General's Chambers, which is often dealing with items that will be made law at Tynwald Day in July and various other matters that crop up at the end of a political year.

There's usually more things to deal with at the end of an administration too as sitting members try and push through what they can before the new one is formed.

As an application to register a political party needs to be approved by the Attorney General, it means that time is running out for any hoping to have candidates representing them in September.

You can find out more about the rules for political parties and candidates here.

There's also everything you need to know about the upcoming General Election here.