Socialist Party (Netherlands)
Template:Short description Template:Redirect Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox political party The Socialist Party (Template:Langx Template:IPA; SP Template:IPA) is a democratic socialist political party in the Netherlands.<ref name="Nordsieck 2021">Template:Cite web</ref> Founded in 1971 as the Communist Party of the Netherlands/Marxist–Leninist (KPN/ML, Template:Langx), the party has since moderated itself from Marxism–Leninism and Maoism towards democratic socialism<ref name="Magone2013"/> and social democracy.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=":2">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Watkins">Template:Cite journal</ref>
Positioned to the political left of the Labour Party, the party has been part of the parliamentary opposition since it was formed.<ref>Stone, Jon (19 February 2018). "Forum For Democracy: New Dutch Eurosceptic party that wants EU referendum now polling in second place". The Independent. Retrieved 9 April 2018.</ref><ref>Kroet, Chyntia (22 March 2018). "Rutte's support steady in Dutch local elections". Politico. Retrieved 9 April 2018.</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After the 2006 Dutch general election, the SP became one of the major parties of the Netherlands winning 25 out of 150 parliamentary seats, an increase of 16 seats. The SP delegation shrank over the next elections, reaching three seats in 2025.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Nordsieck 2021"/>
History
Foundation until 1994
The Socialist Party was founded in October 1971 as a Maoist party named the Communist Party of the Netherlands/Marxist–Leninist (KPN/ML). This KPN/ML was formed following a split from the Communist Unity Movement of the Netherlands (Marxist–Leninist). The issue that provoked the split from Template:Not a typo was an intense debate on the role of intellectuals in the class struggle. The founders of KPN/ML, with Daan Monjé in a prominent role, belonged to the proletarian wing of the Template:Not a typo, who did not want an organisation dominated by students and intellectuals. In 1972, the KPN/ML changed its name to the Socialist Party (Dutch: Template:Lang). Even in its early years, while adhering to Maoist principles such as organising the masses, the SP was very critical of the Chinese Communist Party, condemning its support for UNITA in Angola with the brochure "Template:Lang" ('Answer to the thick skins of the KEN').Template:Citation needed
The SP started to build a network of local parties, with strong local roots. The SP had its own General Practitioners' offices, provided advice to citizens and set up local action groups. This developed within front organisations, separate trade unions, environmental organisations and tenant associations. This work resulted in a strong representation in several municipal legislatures, notably in Oss. Also in some States-Provincial, the SP gained a foothold, especially in the province of North Brabant.
Since 1977, SP attempted to enter the House of Representatives, but the party failed in 1977, 1981, 1982, 1986 and 1989. In 1991, the SP officially scrapped the term Marxism–Leninism because the party had evolved to the point that the term was no longer considered appropriate.
Rise in support 1994–2012
In the 1994 general election, the party's first members of parliament, namely Remi Poppe and Jan Marijnissen, were elected. Its slogan was "Vote Against" (Dutch: Template:Lang). In the 1990s, the major party of the Dutch left, the Labour Party (PvdA), moved to the centre, making the SP and the GroenLinks viable alternatives for some left-wing voters. In the 1998 general election, the party was rewarded for its opposition to the purple government of the first Kok cabinet and more than doubled its seats to five. In the 1999 European Parliament election, Erik Meijer was elected into the European Parliament for the SP.
In the 2002 general election, the SP ran with the slogan "Vote in Favor" (Dutch: Template:Lang). The party nearly doubled to nine seats. This result was kept in the 2003 general election. Leading up to the latter election, the SP was predicted to win as many as 24 (16%) seats in the polls. However, these gains failed to materialise as many potential SP voters chose to cast strategic votes for the Labour Party which stood a good chance of winning the elections. In the 2004 European Parliament election, its one seat was doubled to two.
In the 2005 referendum on the European Constitution, the SP was the only left-wing party in parliament to oppose it. Support for the party grew in opinion polls, but it fell slightly after the referendum.
The 2006 municipal elections were a success for the SP which more than doubled its total number of seats. This can in part be explained by the party standing in many more municipalities, but it can also be seen as a reaction to the so-called "right-wing winter" in national politics as the welfare reforms of the right-wing second Balkenende cabinet were called by its centre-left and left-wing opponents. In a reaction to these results, Marijnissen declared on election night that the "SP has grown up".
After the untimely end of the second Balkenende cabinet and the minority government of the third Balkenende cabinet, the SP gained 16 seats in the parliament after the 2006 general election, nearly tripling its parliamentary representation. With 25 seats, the SP became the third largest party of the Dutch parliament. In the 2006–2007 cabinet formation, the SP was unable to work out its policy differences with the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and remained in opposition against the fourth Balkenende cabinet which comprised the CDA, the PvdA and the Christian Union parties.
In the 2007 provincial elections, the SP gained 54 provincial legislators more than in the 2003 provincial elections and made it to a total of 83 provincial legislators. As a result of the provincial elections, the SP has increased its representatives in the Senate of the Netherlands (upper house) to 11 from the 4 it had previously.
In the 2010 general election, the SP fared worse than in the previous election, with a loss of 10 seats, a gain of 15 and only 9.9% of the overall vote. The party's popularity rose after the election, with polls throughout 2012 indicating it could challenge the ruling VVD with a seat count reaching into the 30s. The SP's popularity peaked in early August, a month before the election, with polls from Peil, Ipsos, and TNS NIPO indicating it would become the largest party with a result as high as 37 seats.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> However, PvdA's popularity surged in the final weeks, and the SP's lead collapsed. The party ultimately placed fourth on 15 seats, with a slight decrease in its vote share compared to 2010.
Decline (2012–present)
In the 2017 general election, the SP lost one seat and finished sixth.
At the 2021 general election, the party returned to the nine seats it held before 2006.
After the 2023 Dutch general election, the SP delegation shrank from nine seats to five.<ref name=":3" /><ref name="Nordsieck 2021" /> The party experienced further losses in the 2025 snap election under current leader Jimmy Dijk, with their seat count almost halving from five to three.<ref name=":4">Template:Cite web</ref>
Ideology
The SP has been described as socialist,<ref name="mirte29">Template:Cite web</ref> democratic socialist,<ref name="Magone2013" /> social democratic,<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name="Watkins" /> left-wing populist,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> left-wing conservative,<ref name="culcon"/> and Eurosceptic.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It advocates for the Netherlands to become a republic.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The party labels itself as socialist,<ref>Introducing the Dutch Socialist Party. Socialist Party (Netherlands). Retrieved 15 June 2017.</ref> and in its manifesto of principles, it calls for a society where human dignity, equality and solidarity are most important. Its core issues are employment, social welfare and investing in health care, public education and public safety. The party opposes privatisation of public services and is critical of globalisation. It has taken a soft Eurosceptic stance. The SP is also opposed to capitalism, as noted in what the SP calls its three main tasks:
According to Cas Mudde, the party has an "old left" platform that combines left-wing economic stances with "left-conservative" positions on some social issues — the party proposes a temporary stop on migrant workers, and it also rejects "identity politics".<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> The party program is heavily focused on Dutch blue collar workers, recalling a 'historical homeland' of Dutch workers that was destroyed by privatisation, deregulation and neoliberalism; in the same vein, the party is critical of the EU, calling its policies 'false internationalism' and accusing it of being in the service of big corporations and neoliberalism. The party's opposition to mass migration is explained by its focus on the protection of the working class; the SP argues that the Dutch working class must be protected by preventing an inflow of cheap labour into the Netherlands; party's slogan on immigration is "Class struggle instead of race struggle".<ref>Template:Cite thesis</ref> The Socialist Party is also regarded as a textbook example of a left-wing populist party,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> and is also considered populist socialist.<ref>Template:Cite thesis</ref>
Social issues
Because of its social stances, the party has been described as culturally conservative.<ref name="culcon"/> Political scientist Jan Philipp Thomeczek compares the party to the German Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, classifying both as left-authoritarian, i.e. economically left-wing and culturally conservative, parties.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Apart from campaigning on restricting immigration, the SP opposes climate change measures that it considers unfair or disadvantageous to the working class. It also strongly opposes a "European superstate" and demands the return of the Dutch national currency, the Dutch guilder; in addition, the party supports border controls within the EU, and advocates introducing a work permit requirement for people entering the Netherlands from other EU countries.<ref name="dejong"/>
The party also denounced feminism, arguing that it divides the working class and sets up workers' wives against their husbands. On immigration, arguing that since a group of second-class workers divides the working class and benefits capitalists, the SP states that immigrants and 'guest workers' in the Netherlands must choose between remigration and full integration into the Dutch culture and nationality.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Given the party's social stances, its voter base consists of low-income and working-class Catholics of the Southern Netherlands, as well as trade union members.<ref name="dejong"/> It combines its social stances with an anti-neoliberal rhetoric, demanding the end of the elite's "pillage of the state, deception, and flogging off its people to a cabal of foreign capitalists".<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Economic issues
The SP is anti-capitalist,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and adheres to a socialist economic agenda.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Its main economic postulate is "drastic reduction in the enormous disparities in incomes and assets". It proposed a maximum wage, demanding that the highest salaries of private-sector executive be no more than ten times the salary of the lowest-paid employee; in case of the public sector, SP proposed that managers should earn no more than cabinet ministers. It also postulated a 65 percent tax on incomes above €150,000, and limitation of tax deduction for mortgage interest payments by removing it for mortgages above €350,000, denuncing it as "villa subsidy".<ref name="fabien415"/> Since 1974, the party has instituted a pay cap for all MPs and elected officials. Any salary in excess of the cap is donated to the party to be used for mutual aid.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The party also proposes an increase of minimum wage, social welfare benfits and old age security payment by the state, along with protecting employment rights by allowing flexible work contrasts to become eligible for a permanent contact more easily. The SP also criticizes the presence of market force in the healthcare system, arguing for a nationa health insurance with income-dependent insurance premiums and no personal contributions instead.<ref name="fabien415">Template:Cite book</ref> The SP has also been a vocal opponent of the new Dutch pension law calling it casino pensions,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the party also has calls for the retirement age to be lowered back to 65 and for AOW income to be coupled to the minimum-wage.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Other stances
The party has increased its opposition towards further armament of Europe since the 2020s, stating that Europe already has enough weapons to defend itself from any potential aggressors and only needs limited investments into its military instead of the mass-rearmament program that the European Commission has proposed.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The SP has also strongly expressed its opposition to the war in Gaza and expressed support for the recognition of a Palestinian state.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The party's leader Dijk has, among others in the party, called the war a genocide.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Relationships with other parties
The SP has always been in opposition on a national level, although there are now numerous examples of government participation on a local and provincial level. On many issues, the SP is the most left-wing party in parliament. Between 1994 and 2002, the Labour Party (PvdA) had a conscious strategy to isolate the party, always voting against the latter's proposals. However, the party did co-operate well with GroenLinks. After its disastrous election result in 2002, the PvdA, now back in opposition, did co-operate with the SP against some of the policies of the centre-right Balkenende government and their relationship improved significantly. New tensions arose after the 2006 general election, when the SP approached the PvdA in electoral support and the PvdA joined the government whereas the SP did not.
Election results
House of Representatives
Senate
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Template:Composition bar compact | New | ||
| 1995 | Template:Composition bar compact | Template:Increase 1 | ||
| 1999 | 4,801 | 3.0 | Template:Composition bar compact | Template:Increase 1 |
| 2003 | 8,551 | 5.3 | Template:Composition bar compact | Template:Increase 2 |
| 2007 | 25,231 | 15.47 | Template:Composition bar compact | Template:Increase 8 |
| 2011 | 17,187 | 10.35 | Template:Composition bar compact | Template:Decrease 4 |
| 2015 | 20,038 | 11.9 | Template:Composition bar compact | Template:Increase 1 |
| 2019 | 10,179 | 5,88 | Template:Composition bar compact | Template:Decrease 5 |
| 2023 | 7,404 | 4.14 | Template:Composition bar compact | Template:Decrease 1 |
European Parliament
| Election | List | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | EP Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | List | 34,332 | 0.65 | Template:Composition bar compact | New | – |
| 1994 | List | 55,311 | 1.34 | Template:Composition bar compact | Template:Steady 0 | |
| 1999 | List | 178,642 | 5.04 | Template:Composition bar compact | Template:Increase 1 | GUE/NGL |
| 2004 | List | 332,326 | 6.97 | Template:Composition bar compact | Template:Increase 1 | |
| 2009 | List | 323,269 | 7.10 | Template:Composition bar compact | Template:Steady 0 | |
| Template:Composition bar compact | Template:Steady 0 | |||||
| 2014 | List | 458,079 | 9.64 | Template:Composition bar compact | Template:Steady 0 | |
| 2019 | List | 185,224 | 3.37 | Template:Composition bar compact | Template:Decrease 2 | – |
| Template:Composition bar compact | Template:Steady 0 | |||||
| 2024 | List | 136,978 | 2.20 | Template:Composition bar compact | Template:Steady 0 |
Representation
Members of the House of Representatives
Members of the Senate
Members of the European Parliament
Template:See also The party currently has no members of the European Parliament since the 2024 European Parliamentary election.
Local and provincial government
Former SP leader Emile Roemer was the first party member who became both mayor and commissioner (he was acting mayor of Heerlen and Alkmaar, and has been King's Commissioner of Limburg since 1 December 2021). The SP is part of the provincial executive (Gedeputeerde staten) in six out of twelve provinces. The SP is also part of several municipal executives (College van burgemeester en wethouders), notably in Amsterdam and Utrecht.
Organisation
Name
The party was founded as the Communist Party of the Netherlands/Marxist–Leninist (KPN/ML) in 1971. In 1972, it adopted the Socialist Party name (Template:Langx), with the spelling using Template:Not a typo instead of Template:Not a typo. This was due to the Dutch spelling reforms at the time. However, these spelling reforms failed and the party changed its name to Template:Lang in 1993.
Leadership
- Chairmen
- Hans van Hooft Sr. (22 October 1971 – 20 May 1988)
- Jan Marijnissen (20 May 1988 – 28 November 2015)
- Ron Meyer (28 November 2015 – 14 December 2019)
- Jannie Visscher (since 14 December 2019)
- Secretaries
- Tiny Kox (20 January 1994 – 24 May 2003)
- Paulus Jansen (24 May 2003 – 20 June 2005)
- Hans van Heijningen (20 June 2005 – 20 January 2018)
- Lieke Smits (20 January 2018 – 14 December 2019)
- Arnout Hoekstra (since 14 December 2019)
- Parliamentary leaders in the Senate
- Jan de Wit (13 June 1995 – 19 May 1998)
- Bob Ruers (19 May 1998 – 10 June 2003)
- Tiny Kox (10 June 2003 – 25 January 2022)
- Rik Janssen (since 25 January 2022)
- Parliamentary leaders in the House of Representatives
- Jan Marijnissen (17 May 1994 – 20 June 2008)
- Agnes Kant (20 June 2008 – 5 March 2010)
- Emile Roemer (5 March 2010 – 13 December 2017)
- Lilian Marijnissen (13 December 2017 – 9 December 2023)
- Jimmy Dijk (since 13 December 2023)
Membership
As of 2016, the SP has 41,710 members and has grown considerably since it entered parliament in 1994, making it the third largest party in terms of its number of members. Like other parties in the Netherlands, the SP has seen a decline in membership in recent years.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Organisational structure
The highest body within the SP is the party council, formed by the chairs of all local branches and the party board. It convenes at least four times a year. The party board is elected by the party congress which is formed by delegates from the municipal branches. The congress decides on the order of the candidates for national and European elections and it has a final say over the party program.
The SP is a constant active force in extra-parliamentary protest. Many of its members are active in local campaigning groups, often independent groups dominated by the SP, or in the SP neighbourhood centres, where the party provides help for the working class.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
An example more of nationwide nature is the movement for a National Healthcare Fund (Template:Langx).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This campaign demonstrates the necessity of a single payer system and wants to remove market and commercialisation aspects of the current healthcare system. The expensive advertising annually organised by healthcare insurance companies in order to attract new customers is a big example. The NHS inspired movement thinks that money should solely be spent on healthcare itself. Switching from one insurance company to another can only be done once every year as restricted by Dutch law.
Linked organisations
The youth wing of the Socialist Party is called SP Jongeren. Its old youth-wing was ROOD; the word rood is officially written in capitals but is not an acronym. The SP publishes the magazine the Tribune monthly<ref>Tribune's website (in Dutch)</ref> which was also the name of a historical Communist Party of the Netherlands newspaper. The relationship between Rood and the SP became rocky in 2020 due to the youth wing taking a more radical approach to politics.<ref>"Conflict rond 'radicale communisten' binnen de SP escaleert" (in Dutch).</ref> In late 2020 the party cut ties with ROOD.<ref name="dejong">Template:Cite news</ref>
Splinter groups
At one point, two Trotskyist entryist groups operated within the SP. This included Offensive, now called Socialist Alternative, and the International Socialists. The latter was expelled on the grounds of double membership. The similar yet very small group Offensief was not considered a factor of power, but its members were banned from the SP in February 2009, on the grounds of being "a party within a party". Members of the party Socialist Alternative Politics still operate within the SP.
Notes
References
External links
Template:Political parties in the Netherlands Template:European Parliament, (Netherlands)