Former bishop concerned over role's future if Tynwald vote axed

The Right Reverend Robert Paterson was the Bishop of Sodor of Man from 2008 to 2016

Removing the bishop's vote in Tynwald could put the future of the role at risk, a former post holder has said.

Lawrie Hooper MHK was given leave to introduce a private member's bill to take away the political vote in the House of Keys this week.

The Right Reverend Robert Paterson was Bishop of Sodor and Man for eight years until his retirement in 2016.

He said if the post was "just in there as an ornament" the role would diminish over time.

The bishop was "part of Tynwald absolutely instrumentally" and without the post holder's input and vote "that whole part of the Manx constitution would fall apart", he continued.

Mr Hooper's bill will seek to retain the bishop's seat in the Manx parliament but remove the right to vote.

But the island's former bishop said the position was historically important in the Manx parliament as it had been there since its inception in the 10th Century and was the only role in Tynwald that has been "there from the beginning".

'Accountable to God'

As well as attending debates, he recalled duties such as chairing select committees, where being a non-political member was considered an advantage.

He said a key benefit of the bishop's influence was accountability.

"The bishop isn't beholden to anybody, in a sense he's only accountable to God," he said.

"He's bound by his job to seek to be as independent minded as possible."

He said he was also concerned with the bill's timing as it immediately followed the retirement of the Right Reverend Peter Eagles, with a search for his successor still underway.

"It comes at a most unfortunate time because effectively there's nobody there to defend it from the inside," he said.

He urged members of Tynwald to "think very carefully" before removing "something that is of such value to the island".

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