Socialist Party (Netherlands) facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Socialist Party Socialistische Partij

Abbreviation	SP
Leader	Jimmy Dijk
Chairman	Jannie Visscher
Secretary	Arnout Hoekstra
Leader in the Senate	Rik Janssen
Leader in the House of Representatives	Jimmy Dijk
Founded	22 October 1971 (1971-10-22)
Split from	Communist Unity Movement of the Netherlands (Marxist–Leninist)
Headquarters	De Moed Partijbureau SP Snouckaertlaan 70, Amersfoort
Think tank	Scientific Office of the SP
Youth wing	SP Jongeren (formerly ROOD)
Membership (2024)	30,914
Ideology	Democratic socialism Left-wing populism Social democracy Dutch republicanism Soft Euroscepticism
Political position	Left-wing
Regional affiliation	Socialists, Greens and Democrats
Colours	Crimson
Senate	4 / 75
House of Representatives	5 / 150
States-Provincial	22 / 570
European Parliament	0 / 29
King's Commissioners	1 / 12
Benelux Parliament	1 / 21
Website
sp.nl international.sp.nl
Politics of the Netherlands ^ A: SP has been variously described as "old left", far-left, and left-conservative; the latter label is due its more right-wing stance on socio-cultural issues.

The Socialist Party (in Dutch: Socialistische Partij), often called SP, is a political party in the Netherlands. It believes in democratic socialism and social democracy. This means they want a society where everyone is treated fairly. They also believe in helping people who need it most.

The party started in 1971 with a different name. Over time, its ideas changed to be more focused on democracy and social fairness. The SP is usually a party that opposes the government in the Dutch parliament. After the 2006 election, the SP became one of the biggest parties. They won 25 out of 150 seats in parliament. However, in later elections, their number of seats went down. In the 2023 election, they won five seats.

History of the SP

Early Years (1971-1994)

The Socialist Party began in October 1971. It was first called the Communist Party of the Netherlands/Marxist–Leninist (KPN/ML). The people who started it wanted an organization that was not controlled by students or intellectuals. They wanted to focus on working closely with people in local communities.

In 1972, the KPN/ML changed its name to the Socialist Party. Even in its early days, the SP worked hard to build local groups. They had their own doctors' offices and gave advice to people. They also started local action groups to help communities. This work helped them gain many seats in local city councils, especially in the city of Oss. They also gained power in some provincial councils.

Since 1977, the SP tried to get into the national parliament. But they did not win any seats in the elections of 1977, 1981, 1982, 1986, and 1989. In 1991, the SP officially removed the term "Marxism–Leninism" from its ideas. This showed that the party had changed its main goals.

Growing in Parliament (After 1994)

Jan Marijnissen, a former leader of the SP.

In the 1994 national election, the SP finally won its first two seats in parliament. Their slogan was "Vote Against." In the 1990s, another big left-wing party, the Labour Party, moved more towards the center. This made the SP a good choice for some left-wing voters. In the 1998 election, the SP more than doubled its seats to five. This was because they opposed the government at that time. In 1999, the SP also won its first seat in the European Parliament.

In the 2002 election, the SP nearly doubled its seats again, winning nine. They kept these nine seats in the 2003 election. Before the 2003 election, polls suggested the SP could win many more seats. However, many people who might have voted for the SP chose to vote for the Labour Party instead, hoping it would win the election. In the 2004 European Parliament election, the SP doubled its seats to two.

In 2005, there was a vote on the European Constitution. The SP was the only left-wing party in parliament that was against it. Their support grew in polls after this vote.

The 2006 local elections were a big success for the SP. They more than doubled their total number of seats in local councils. This was partly because they ran in more places. But it also showed that people were reacting to changes in national politics. After these results, the SP leader, Jan Marijnissen, said that the "SP has grown up."

After the 2006 national election, the SP gained 16 more seats in parliament. This made them the third-largest party in the Dutch parliament, with 25 seats. However, the SP could not agree with other parties to form a government. So, they remained in opposition.

In the 2007 provincial elections, the SP gained many more seats. This led to them having more representatives in the Senate, which is the upper house of parliament.

Emile Roemer, another former leader of the SP.

In the 2010 national election, the SP lost 10 seats, ending up with 15. Their popularity grew in 2012, and some polls even suggested they could become the largest party. But in the final weeks before the election, another party gained popularity. The SP ended up with 15 seats. In the 2017 election, the SP lost one seat. In the 2021 election, they fell back to nine seats. After the 2023 election, the SP won five seats.

Party Name Changes

The party started as the Communist Party of the Netherlands/Marxist–Leninist (KPN/ML) in 1971. In 1972, it changed its name to Socialistiese Partij. The spelling was a bit different because of Dutch spelling reforms at the time. However, these spelling changes did not last. So, in 1993, the party changed its name again to Socialistische Partij, which is how it is spelled today.

What the SP Believes In

The SP is known for being a democratic socialist and social democratic party. It is also seen as a left-wing populist party. They believe in Dutch republicanism, which means they support the Netherlands being a republic, not a monarchy. The party calls itself "socialist."

In their main goals, the SP says they want a society where human dignity, equality, and solidarity are most important. Their main focus areas are:

Creating jobs for everyone.
Making sure people have good social support.
Investing in health care, public education, and public safety.

The SP is against selling off public services to private companies. They are also critical of globalisation, which is the way countries become more connected. They are also somewhat critical of the European Union.

The SP is against capitalism. They believe that capitalism can lead to people being exploited and society being divided. They also think it harms the environment. The SP wants to build a modern socialist society. To do this, they have three main tasks:

To criticize capitalism and help people organize against it.
To offer their own ideas for how society should work and fight for them.
To work with anyone who shares their values, both in the Netherlands and around the world.

The SP believes that capitalism causes environmental problems and leads to wars and refugees. They say that our way of life needs to change to protect nature and people. More and more people are realizing that the capitalist market economy does not work well.

The party focuses a lot on Dutch blue-collar workers. They believe these workers were harmed by privatization and other economic changes. The SP is also critical of the European Union. They say its policies help big companies and not ordinary people. The SP also believes that too many migrant workers can harm the Dutch working class. Their slogan on immigration is "Class struggle instead of race struggle." The Socialist Party is often seen as a good example of a left-wing populist party.

Election Results

House of Representatives

Election	Lijsttrekker	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Government
1977	Remi Poppe	24,420	0.29 (#15)	0 / 150	New	No seats
1981	Hans van Hooft Sr.	30,357	0.35 (#13)	0 / 150		No seats
1982		44,690	0.55 (#13)	0 / 150		No seats
1986		31,983	0.35 (#12)	0 / 150		No seats
1989	Jan Marijnissen	38,789	0.44 (#22)	0 / 150		No seats
1994		118,768	1.32 (#11)	2 / 150	2	Opposition
1998		303,703	3.53 (#6)	5 / 150	3	Opposition
2002		560,447	5.90 (#6)	9 / 150	4	Opposition
2003		609,723	6.32 (#4)	9 / 150		Opposition
2006		1,630,803	16.58 (#3)	25 / 150	16	Opposition
2010	Emile Roemer	924,696	9.82 (#5)	15 / 150	10	Opposition
2012		909,853	9.65 (#4)	15 / 150		Opposition
2017		955,633	9.09 (#6)	14 / 150	1	Opposition
2021	Lilian Marijnissen	623,436	5.98 (#5)	9 / 150	5	Opposition
2023	Lilian Marijnissen	328,225	3.15 (#8)	5 / 150	4	0TBA

Senate

Election	Votes	%	Seats	+/–
1991			0 / 75	New
1995			1 / 75	1
1999	4,801	3.0	2 / 75	1
2003	8,551	5.3	4 / 75	2
2007	25,231	15.47	12 / 75	8
2011	17,187	10.35	8 / 75	4
2015	20,038	11.9	9 / 75	1
2019	10,179	5,88	4 / 75	5
2023	7,404	4.14	3 / 75	1

European Parliament

Election	List	Votes	%	Seats	+/–
1989	List	34,332	0.65 (#8)	0 / 26	New
1994	List	55,311	1.34 (#8)	0 / 26
1999	List	178,642	5.04 (#7)	1 / 26	1
2004	List	332,326	6.97 (#6)	2 / 26	1
2009	List	323,269	7.10 (#7)	2 / 25
2009	List	323,269	7.10 (#7)	2 / 26
2014	List	458,079	9.64 (#5)	2 / 26
2019	List	185,224	3.37 (#11)	0 / 26	2
2019	List	185,224	3.37 (#11)	0 / 29

SP Leadership

Important Leaders

The SP has had several important leaders throughout its history. These leaders help guide the party and represent it in parliament.

Party Leaders:
- Daan Monjé (1971–1986)
- Hans van Hooft Sr. (1986–1988)
- Jan Marijnissen (1988–2008)
- Agnes Kant (2008–2010)
- Emile Roemer (2010–2017)
- Lilian Marijnissen (2017–2023)
- Jimmy Dijk (since 2023)

Chairmen:
- Hans van Hooft Sr. (1971–1988)
- Jan Marijnissen (1988–2015)
- Ron Meyer (2015–2019)
- Jannie Visscher (since 2019)

Secretaries:
- Tiny Kox (1994–2003)
- Paulus Jansen (2003–2005)
- Hans van Heijningen (2005–2018)
- Lieke Smits (2018–2019)
- Arnout Hoekstra (since 2019)

Parliamentary Leaders in the Senate:
- Jan de Wit (1995–1998)
- Bob Ruers (1998–2003)
- Tiny Kox (2003–2022)
- Rik Janssen (since 2022)

Parliamentary Leaders in the House of Representatives:
- Jan Marijnissen (1994–2008)
- Agnes Kant (2008–2010)
- Emile Roemer (2010–2017)
- Lilian Marijnissen (2017–2023)
- Jimmy Dijk (since 2023)

Main Candidates in General Elections (Lijsttrekker):
- Remi Poppe – 1977
- Hans van Hooft Sr. – 1981, 1982, 1986
- Jan Marijnissen – 1989, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2006
- Emile Roemer – 2010, 2012, 2017
- Lilian Marijnissen - 2021, 2023

SP in Government

Members of Parliament

The SP has members in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. These are the two parts of the Dutch national parliament.

You can find lists of current members here:
- List of members of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands, 2023–present
- List of members of the Senate of the Netherlands, 2023–2027

European Parliament Members

The SP currently does not have any members in the European Parliament. They last had members after the 2014 European Parliament election.

Local and Provincial Government

The SP is also active in local and provincial governments. For example, former SP leader Emile Roemer became a mayor and then a King's Commissioner in the province of Limburg. The SP is part of the provincial government in six out of twelve provinces. They are also part of several city governments, including in Amsterdam and Utrecht.

How the SP is Organized

As of 2016, the SP had 41,710 members. This made it the third-largest party in the Netherlands based on its number of members. However, like other parties, the SP has seen a decrease in members in recent years.

Party Structure

The highest group in the SP is the party council. It includes the leaders of all local branches and the party board. This council meets at least four times a year. The party board is chosen by the party congress. The congress is made up of representatives from local city branches. The congress decides who will be candidates for national and European elections. It also has the final say on the party's main goals.

The SP is very active outside of parliament. Many of its members work in local campaign groups. They also work in SP neighborhood centers, where the party helps working-class people.

One example of their national work is the campaign for a National Healthcare Fund. This campaign wants a single system for healthcare. They want to remove the idea of making money from healthcare. They believe that money should only be spent on healthcare itself.

Groups Connected to the SP

The youth group of the Socialist Party is called SP Jongeren. Their old youth group was called ROOD. The SP also publishes a monthly magazine called the Tribune. The relationship between ROOD and the SP became difficult in 2020. This was because the youth group had more radical political ideas. In late 2020, the party officially ended its ties with ROOD.

SP and Other Parties

The SP has almost always been in opposition at the national level. This means they have not been part of the ruling government. However, they do work with other parties in local and provincial governments. On many issues, the SP is the most left-wing party in parliament.

Between 1994 and 2002, the Labour Party often voted against the SP's ideas. But after the 2002 election, their relationship improved. They worked together against some policies of the government at that time. New disagreements came up after the 2006 election. This was when the Labour Party joined the government, but the SP did not.