Constitutionally the final decades of the century were characterised by four main developments. First, the Island continued to campaign for greater autonomy from the UK, but in a climate where international agreements and European as well as UK authorities visibly limited the real room for manoeuvre. Second, there was a lengthy but largely unproductive campaign for the further democratisation of Tynwald. Third, the search for a stronger executive and a rationalisation of the Island's unwieldy board system led to the establishment of a ministerial system of government. Fourth, tensions between the authority of the new executive and Tynwald led to demands for the more effective accountability of government to Tynwald.

After 1981 political leadership was provided mainly by the chair and members of the Executive Council and, after 1986, by the Chief Minister and Ministers. The Lieutenant-Governors retained few political powers with the result that the incumbents—Sir Nigel Cecil (1980–85), Sir Laurence New (1985–90), Sir Laurence Jones (1990–95) and Sir Timothy Daunt (1995–2000)—were no longer numbered among the Island's political leaders. Members of Tynwald outside the Executive Council or the Council of Ministers were still able to pursue their own initiatives and influence votes, but a combination of constitutional and political developments meant that the prospects of successful initiatives were limited unless supported in some measure by the leadership. That leadership continued to be recruited from both branches of Tynwald, but with the Keys increasingly predominant. Between 1981 and 1986 the leadership of the Executive Council was provided by Percy Radcliffe (1981–85) and Edgar Mann (1985–86), both MLCs chosen by Tynwald as the best man for the job. Their successors, Miles Walker (1986–96) and Donald Gelling (1996–) were both MHKs. Others recruited from the Legislative Council (the dates in brackets refer to the term served on the executive bodies) were for the most part elder statesmen first elected as MHKs in the 1960s and mid-1970s—Edward Kerruish (1978–85), Roy MacDonald (1982–85), Ian Anderson (1984–88), Arnold Callin (1985–95), Edmund Lowey (1985–96) and Norman Radcliffe (1985–86). Edgar Mann was also an MLC member of the Council of Ministers between 1996 and 1999. The one exception was Clare Christian (1996–), who was first elected to the Keys in 1980.