On Friday 19 September 2014, the day the result of the vote on
Scottish independence was declared, David Doyle (the Island’s
First Deemster and Clerk of the Rolls) was in Edinburgh at the
personal request of the Right Honourable Lord Gill, the Lord
President of Scotland. Invitations had been issued in June to the
heads of the Judiciary in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Isle of Man,
Jersey and Guernsey with the intention of discussing matters of
common interest and to consider how the heads of the seven
jurisdictions could best maintain and enhance regular and
meaningful contact.
On Friday Deemster Doyle attended the opening of the Legal Year
Ceremony in Court 1 of the Court of Session at which Lord Hodge, a
Justice of the United Kingdom Supreme Court and a member of the
Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (the Island’s final
appeal court) was also present.
The Justices from Scotland, England and Wales, Northern Ireland,
Ireland and the Crown Dependencies then attended a reception hosted
by Frank Mulholland, the Lord Advocate of Scotland, at Edinburgh
Castle. Later in the evening the Justices were entertained to an
informal supper hosted by James Wolffe, the Dean of Faculty in the
Reading Room at Parliament House.
The formal meeting between the Chief Justices took place on
Saturday 20 September 2014 and the day ended with a formal dinner
at Parliament Hall, Parliament House
Deemster Doyle stated:
“It was useful to meet with the leading judges of the
jurisdictions within the British Isles. The creation of the British
Isles Chief Justices’ Forum is an important step. Cooperation
and a hunger to learn from one another will assist in the
development of our respective legal systems. It is very useful for
the Isle of Man to be represented at the highest judicial level
amongst the Chief Justices of the jurisdictions within the British
Isles which are close to us physically and legally.
The timing of the meeting coincided with the declaration of the
result of the vote on Scottish independence. The atmosphere in
Edinburgh was incredible with media crews from very many countries
worldwide including Ukraine seeking views as to the process and as
to the future. The Justices, of course, kept out of the politics of
the situation but I was comforted by the fact that in a
jurisdiction which respects the rule of law and democratic values,
the issue had been decided by a peaceful vote, with an impressive
turnout of voters, rather than by armed conflict as is sadly the
case in some other jurisdictions worldwide. Long may the rule of
law prevail and assist in providing peaceful solutions to the
constitutional and legal issues of the day.
I look forward to working closely with the Chief Justices of the
other jurisdictions throughout the British Isles and to
contributing positively to the British Isles Chief Justices’
Forum.”
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