Jan Marijnissen

Jan Marijnissen
Jan Marijnissen in 2006
Member of the House of Representatives
In office 17 May 1994 – 17 June 2010
Parliamentary group	Socialist Party
Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives
In office 17 May 1994 – 20 June 2008
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Agnes Kant
Parliamentary group	Socialist Party
Chairman of the Socialist Party
In office 20 May 1988 – 28 November 2015
Preceded by	Hans van Hooft Sr.
Succeeded by	Ron Meyer
Leader of the Socialist Party
In office 20 May 1988 – 20 June 2008
Preceded by	Hans van Hooft Sr. (as Chairman of the Socialist Party)
Succeeded by	Agnes Kant
Personal details
Born	Johannes Guillaume Christianus Andreas Marijnissen (1952-10-08) 8 October 1952 (age 71) Oss, Netherlands
Political party	Socialist Party (1972–present)
Other political affiliations	Communist Unity Movement of the Netherlands (1970–1972)
Spouse	Mari-Anne van Schijndel ​ ​ (m. 1976)​
Children	Lilian Marijnissen
Residence(s)	Oss, Netherlands
Occupation	Politician · Welder · Activist · Author · Columnist
Website	(in Dutch) Official website

Johannes Guillaume Christianus Andreas "Jan" Marijnissen (Jan Marijnissen^ⓘ) (born 8 October 1952) is a retired Dutch politician of the Socialist Party (SP).

Marijnissen, a

He is the father of Lilian Marijnissen, a former Leader of the Socialist Party.

Early life

Johannes Guillaume Christianus Andreas Marijnissen was born on 8 October 1952 in Oss in the Dutch Province of North Brabant in a Roman Catholic family. After leaving secondary 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.

Politics

Local politics

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

In 1987 Marijnissen became the party's first ever

In 2003, after the 87-day 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 arose between Jan Marijnissen and

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 17 June 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 was 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 to the

• Samenleven kan je niet alleen Archived 2011-09-30 at the
  ISBN 90-801777-1-7
  )
• Tegenstemmen, een rood antwoord op Paars Archived 2011-11-05 at the
  ISBN 978-960-89490-4-1
  )
• Effe Dimmen! Een rebel in Den Haag Archived 2011-09-30 at the
  ISBN 90-204-5766-7
  ).
• De laatste oorlog: Gesprekken over de nieuwe wereldorde Archived 2011-11-05 at the
  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 Archived 2011-09-30 at the
  ISBN 90-77133-01-1
  ).
• Nieuw Optimisme Archived 2007-12-12 at the Wayback Machine (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.