> Independence is a strong part of the character of the people of the island. We’re not part of the UK, or the British Isles – we’re Manx It should be noted th

> Independence is a strong part of the character of the people of the island. We’re not part of the UK, or the British Isles – we’re Manx It should be noted that this is more aspirational than reality. It's not just the currency that's tied to the UK's pound, a lot of legislation is normalised between the two. The tax situation aside, it's more a part of the UK than some Manx residents like to think (and even the tax serves a purpose for the UK). This is unsurprising as most residents come from the UK and it is almost completely dependent on the UK. That said Tynwald (Manx government) can and does make laws that differ. Relatively recently its abortion reforms were in the news. A geeky aside: Linux enthusiasts may know the Isle of Mann as the home of Mark Shuttleworth (creator of Ubuntu).