Jan Marijnissen

Johannes Guillaume Christianus Andreas Marijnissen (Oss, 8 october 1952, usually known as ) is a Dutch politician for the Socialist Party.

Related Topics:
Oss - 8 october - 1952 - Dutch - Politician - Socialist Party

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Marijnissen is chairman and leader in the parliament for the SP. Marijnissen 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, the dutch equivalent of the English Labour Party, which went under the leadership of prime minister Wim Kok and his so-called Purple Cabinets (1994-2002) into a centrist, third way direction by advocating welfare reforms.

Related Topics:
PvdA - Wim Kok - Third way

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Critics of Marijnissen call his leadership style authoritarian, because he is presumed to have a thight 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.

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Marijnissen was was born on 8 october 1952 in Oss. 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.

Related Topics:
1975 - 1993 - 2005

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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.

Related Topics:
1987 - Provincial - North Brabant

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Since 1994, when the SP made the breakthrough which brought it into the national parliament, Marijnissen has been chair 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, during the last national elections that have been held in the Netherlands, 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 in 2003 compared to a year before. Since then the party, still under the lead of Jan Marijnissen, has been doing well in opinion polls and is consistently polling above ten percent of the electorate.

Related Topics:
1994 - National parliament

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Marijnissen has written a number of books, Samenleven kan je niet alleen (1993), Tegenstemmen, een rood antwoord op Paars (1996) and Effe Dimmen! Een rebel in Den Haag. (1998). The second of these is available in English under the title Enough! A socialist bites back. He also wrote Nieuw Optimisme (New Optimism, 2003) and Schrale Rijkdom (Poor Richness, 2002).

Related Topics:
1993 - 1996 - Den Haag - English - 2002

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Jan Marijnissen is married and has one daughter.

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