Jan Marijnissen

Jan Marijnissen
Parliamentary leader – Socialist Party House of Representatives
In office May 5, 1994 – June 20, 2008
Preceded by	First
Succeeded by	Agnes Kant
Member of the House of Representatives
In office May 17, 1994 – June 17, 2010
Personal details
Born	Johannes Guillaume Christianus Andreas Marijnissen (1952-10-08) October 8, 1952 Oss, Netherlands
Nationality	Dutch
Political party	Communist Unity Movement of the Netherlands (until 1972) Socialist Party (from 1972)
Spouse(s)	Mari-Anne Marijnissen (since 1976)
Residence	Oss, Netherlands
Occupation	Politician Author
Religion	Agnostic
Website	Official site

Johannes Guillaume Christianus Andreas (Jan) Marijnissen ( Jan Marijnissen (help·info)) (born October 8, 1952 in Oss) is a Dutch politician of the Socialist Party (SP). He served as Parliamentary leader in House of Representatives May 5, 1994 until June 20, 2008. He was a Member of the House of Representatives from May 17, 1994 until June 17, 2010.

He was a member of the Communist Unity Movement of the Netherlands (Marxist-Leninist) in the early 1970s until in 1972 he became a member of what is now the Socialist Party. He worked as a benchman and welder (1974–1985). He was a member of the city council in Oss (1976–1993), a member of the Provinciale Staten in North Brabant (1987–1989), and the political and parliamentary leader of the Socialist Party (1994–2008).

Under his leadership, the Socialist Party became the third largest parliamentary party with the Dutch general elections of 2006. He resigned as Party leader and Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives on June 20, 2008 for health reasons.

Biography

Early life

Marijnissen was born in the Dutch province of North Brabant. After leaving school shortly before the exams, he worked in a number of factories in and around Oss. He then trained as a welder, working for ten years in the metal industry. Meanwhile he helped founding the SP in Oss and, in 1975, became the Netherlands' youngest councillor ever. He remained a councillor until 1993, playing a leading role in many campaigns, such as against polluting discharges. The SP's council representation in Oss has grown at every local election and is, as of 2005, the biggest stronghold of the Socialist Party in the Netherlands. Nicknamed "The Wizard of Oss", after his hometown, he became famous when he turned out to be one of the main architects of the Dutch vote that rejected the European Constitution in June 2005.

Politics

In 1987 Marijnissen became the party's first ever provincial assembly member, in North Brabant. A year later he became the SP's national president. Under his leadership the party has been transformed from "a federation of local branches" into a party with a clear national programme, nationally-organised activities and a national profile.

Since 1994, when the SP made the breakthrough which brought it into the House of Representatives, Marijnissen has been chairman of the party's parliamentary group. After gaining 2 out of the 150 parliamentary seats during this first breakthrough, support for him and his party has risen slowly but continuously. After 4 years of being in parliament, his Socialist Party went under his lead from 2 to 5 seats during the national elections of 1998, which was followed by a growth towards 9 seats in 2002. In 2003, after the 87 days term of Balkenende I, the Socialist Party didn't manage to gain more seats than the year before and stayed at the same level with again 9 out of 150 seats. Although there was a slight rise in number of people who voted for the SP compared to a year before, a few weeks before the elections the polls suggested the SP might double.

After the 2004 elections a conflict arises between Jan Marijnissen and Ali Lazrak, when the latter refuses to conform to an agreement that requires all SP-politicians to donate part of their wages. Lazrak accused Marijnissen of dictatorial behavior, an attempt to settle the argument fails and Lazrak leaves the fraction on February 2, 2004.

In February 2006 the party was polled on 9.5% of the electorate in the municipal elections. After the untimely end of Balkenende II and the minority government of Balkenende III, the SP won 16 more seats in the 2006 elections to a total of 25, becoming the third party of the Netherlands. Soon after, the party membership passed 50,000.^[1]

In 2006 a majority of members of parliament voted for his idea to build a National Historic Museum in the Netherlands. In 2007 the Minister of Culture decided the city Arnhem would be its residence.

On June 17, 2008 Marijnissen announced his resignation as chairman of the SP group in the House of Representatives because of health reasons.^[2] However, he remains a member of the House of Representatives and chairman of the Socialist Party.^[2]

Marijnissen has been the chairman and leader in the parliament for the SP since 1989. He is said to appeal to the 'common man', because of his use of simple language. His appeal is also explained by some observers by his capacity of presenting himself as a valid, more social alternative for the PvdA, which moved into a more centrist third way direction by advocating welfare reforms under the leadership of prime minister Wim Kok and his so-called Purple Cabinets (1994–2002).

Critics of Marijnissen call his leadership style authoritarian, because he is presumed to have a tight grip on his party. They also disparage his stubborn, traditional leftist defence of the Dutch social security system despite pressures of globalisation. Some critics call Marijnissen a left-wing populist.

Works

Marijnissen in 2007

• Samenleven kan je niet alleen (You can't live together alone), SP, (1993). (ISBN 9-0801-7771-7)
• Tegenstemmen, een rood antwoord op Paars (Voting against, a red answer to Purple), (Amsterdam/Antwerp: L.J. Veen, 1996). (ISBN 9-0254-0860-5). This book is also available in English under the title Enough! A socialist bites back. In 2006 three new English chapters were added with summaries of conclusion in his latter books. In 2007 the book became available in Greece under the title Αρκετά!. (Athens: Antilogos, 2007). (ISBN 978-960-89490-4-1)
• Effe Dimmen! Een rebel in Den Haag. (Amsterdam/Antwerp: L.J. Veen, 1998). (ISBN 9-0204-5766-7).
• De laatste oorlog: Gesprekken over de nieuwe wereldorde (The last war), (Amsterdam/Antwerp: L.J. Veen, 2000). (ISBN 9-0204-6022-6). Co-authored with Karel Glastra van Loon. A series of interviews with experts as Lord Carrington, Sir Michael Rose, Hans van den Broek, Noam Chomsky, Rob de Wijk en Georgi Arbatov on international conflicts with special attention to the role of the Dutch in these conflicts.
• Schrale Rijkdom: De erfenis van acht jaar Paars (Poor Richness), (Ketch-up Press, 2002). (ISBN 9-0771-3301-1).
• Nieuw Optimisme (New Optimism), (Aspekt, 2003).
• Hoe dan, Jan (But how, Jan?), (Amsterdam/Antwerp: L.J. Veen, 2005). Two Dutch journalist wrote a question/ answer style book about how Marijnissen's ideas could become reality.
• Waar historie huis houdt (Where history lives), (Rap, 2005). In addition to his plea for a National Historic Museum for the Netherlands, Jan Marijnissen reveals his interest in history and the importance of history to a land and its culture.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jan Marijnissen.

• (Dutch) Official Parliamentary Biography