Labour Party (Netherlands)

Template:Infobox Dutch political party The Labour Party (Template:Lang-nl, literally "Party of Labour", PvdA), is a social-democratic political party in the Netherlands. Since the Dutch general election, 2003, the PvdA has been the second largest political party in the Netherlands. The PvdA was a coalition member in the fourth Balkenende cabinet since February 22, 2007. On February 20, 2010, the party withdrew from the government after arguments over the Dutch role in Afghanistan.

Party history

1945-1965

The PvdA was founded on February 9, 1946, through a merger of three parties: the socialist Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAP), the minor left-liberal Free-thinking Democratic League (VDB) and the small social-Protestant Christian Democratic Union (CDU). They were joined by individuals from Catholic resistance group Christofoor and the Protestant parties Christian Historical Union (CHU) and Anti Revolutionary Party (ARP).

The founders of the PvdA wanted to create a broad people's party, breaking with the historic tradition of pillarization. This desire to come to a new political system was called the Doorbraak. The party combined socialist ideals with liberal, religious and humanist ideas. However, the party was unable to break pillarization. Instead the new party renewed the close ties the SDAP had with other socialist organisations (see linked organisations). In 1948, some liberal members, led by former VDB leader Pieter Oud, left the PvdA because they were unhappy with the socialist course of the PvdA. Together with the Freedom Party (Partij van de Vrijheid, PvdV), they formed the conservative-liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD).

Between 1946 and 1958, the PvdA formed coalition governments with the Catholic People's Party (KVP), and combinations of VVD, ARP and CHU. The KVP and the PvdA together had a large majority in parliament. Since 1948, these cabinets were led by PvdA Prime Minister Willem Drees. Under his leadership the Netherlands recovered from the war, began to build its welfare state, and Indonesia became independent.

After the cabinet crisis of 1958, the PvdA was replaced by the VVD. The PvdA was in opposition until 1965. The electoral support of PvdA voters began to decline.

1965-1989

In 1965 a conflict in the KVP-ARP-CHU-VVD cabinet made continuation of the government impossible. The three confessional parties turned towards the PvdA. Together they formed the Cabinet Cals. This cabinet was also short lived and conflict-ridden. The conflicts culminated in the fall of the cabinet over financial policy.

Meanwhile, a younger generation was attempting to gain control of the PvdA. A group of young PvdA members, calling themselves the New Left, changed the party. The New Left wanted to reform the PvdA: they believed the party should become oriented towards the new social movements, adopting their anti-parliamentary strategies and their issues, such as women's liberation, environmental conservation and Third World development. Prominent New Left members were Jan Nagel, André van der Louw and Bram Peper. One of their early victories followed the fall of the Cals cabinet. The party Congress adopted a motion that made it impossible for the PvdA to govern with the KVP and its Protestant allies. In response to the growing power of the New Left group, a group of older, centrist party members, led by Willem Drees' son, Willem Drees Junior founded the New Right. In 1970, it was clear that they lost the conflict within the party and they left, founding the Democratic Socialists '70 (DS70) party.

Under the New Left, the PvdA started a strategy of polarization, striving for a cabinet based on a progressive majority in parliament. In order to form that cabinet the PvdA allied itself with the social-liberal Democrats 66 (D66) and the radical Christian Political Party of Radicals (PPR). The alliance was called the Progressive Accord (PAK). In the 1971 and 1972 elections, these three parties promised to form a cabinet with a radical common program after the elections. They were unable to gain a majority in either election. In 1971, they were kept out of cabinet, and the party of former PvdA members, DS70, became a partner of the Biesheuvel cabinet.

Joop den Uyl (left) party leader from 1966 until 1986, Wim Kok (right) party leader from 1986 until 2001

In the 1972 elections, neither the PvdA and its allies or the KVP and its allies were able to gain a majority. The two sides were forced to work together. Joop den Uyl, leader of the PvdA, led the cabinet. The cabinet was an extra-parliamentary cabinet and it was composed of members of the three progressive parties and members of the KVP and the ARP. The cabinet attempted to radically reform government, society and the economy, but it faced economic decline and was riddled with personal and ideological conflicts. Especially, the relationship between Prime Minister Den Uyl and the KVP Deputy Prime Minister, Van Agt was very problematic. The conflict culminated just before the 1977 elections, the cabinet fell. The 1977 elections were won by the PvdA, but the ideological and personal conflict between Van Agt and Den Uyl prevented the formation of a new centre-left cabinet. After very long cabinet formation talks, the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), itself a new Christian democratic political formation composed of KVP, CHU and ARP, formed government with the VVD, based on a very narrow majority. The PvdA was left in opposition.

In the 1981 elections, the CDA-VVD lost their majority. The CDA remained the largest party but it was forced to cooperate with the PvdA and D66 (the PPR had left the alliance, after losing the 1977 elections). In the new cabinet led by Van Agt, Den Uyl returned to cabinet, now as Deputy Prime Minister. The personal and ideological conflict between Van Agt and Den Uyl culminated in the fall of the cabinet just months after it was formed. The VVD and the CDA regained their majority in the 1982 elections and retained it in the 1986 elections. The PvdA was left in opposition. During this period, the party began to reform. In 1986, Den Uyl left politics, appointing former trade union leader Wim Kok as his successor.

1989-present

Wouter Bos party leader from 2002 until 2010

After the 1989 elections, the PvdA returned to cabinet together with the CDA. Kok became Deputy Prime Minister to CDA leader Ruud Lubbers. The PvdA accepted the major economic reforms the previous Lubbers cabinets made, including privatization of public enterprises and reform of the welfare state. They continued these policies in this cabinet. The cabinet faced heavy protest from the unions and saw major political conflict within the PvdA itself.

In the 1994 elections, the PvdA and CDA coalition lost its majority in parliament. The PvdA however emerged as the biggest party. Kok formed a government together with the conservative-liberal VVD and social-liberal D66. The so-called purple government was a political novelty, because the Christian Democrats had been in government since 1918. The cabinet continued the economic reforms, but combined this with a progressive outlook on ethical questions and promises of political reform. Kok became very popular prime minister. Kok was not a partisan figure, but combined successful technocratic policies with the charisma of a national leader. In the 1998 elections, the cabinet was rewarded for its stewardship of the economy. The PvdA and the VVD increased their seats, at the cost of D66.

The PvdA was expected to perform very well in the 2002 elections. Kok left politics leaving the leadership of the party to his preferred successor Ad Melkert. But the political rise of Pim Fortuyn frustrated these hopes. The PvdA lost the 2002 elections, and the party's parliamentary representation fell from 45 seats to 23. The loss was blamed on the uncharismatic new leader Melkert, the perceived arrogance of the PvdA and the inability to answer to the right-wing populist issues Fortuyn raised, especially immigration and integration. Melkert resigned as party leader and was replaced by Jeltje van Nieuwenhoven. The PvdA was kept out of cabinet. The government formed by CDA, VVD and the Pim Fortuyn List (LPF) fell after a very short period.

Current party leader Job Cohen

Meanwhile, Wouter Bos, State Secretary in the second purple cabinet, was elected leader of the PvdA in a referendum among PvdA members, being elected closely to Jouke de Vries. He started to democratize the party organization and began an ideological reorientation. In the 2003 elections, Wouter Bos managed to regain almost all seats lost in the previous election, and the PvdA was once again the second largest party of the Netherlands, only slightly smaller than the CDA. Personal and ideological conflicts between Bos and the CDA leader Jan Peter Balkenende prevented the formation of a CDA-PvdA cabinet. Instead, the PvdA was kept out of government by the formation of cabinet of the CDA, the VVD, and D66, the latter being former allies of PvdA. In the 2006 municipal elections, the renewed PvdA performed very well. The PvdA became by far the largest party nationally, while the three governing parties lost a considerable number of seats in municipal councils.

It was expected that the PvdA would do well in the upcoming 2006 elections, but the party lost the race for Prime Minister to the [[Christian Democratic Appeal] after suffering a loss of 9 seats. The PvdA now held only 33 seats, losing many votes to the Socialist Party. The PvdA had previously distanced themselves from the idea of a voting bloc on the left. It did however join the fourth Balkenende cabinet in which Wouter Bos became minister of Finance. In the aftermath of the lost elections the entire party executive stepped down on April 26, 2007. On Saturday February 20th, 2010 the Labour Party withdrew from the government after arguments over Afghanistan.

After withdrawing from the government, Wouter Bos announced he would leave politics to spend more time with his wife and two daughters. Then mayor of Amsterdam, Job Cohen, took his place as leader of the PvdA.

Ideology and issues

The PvdA began as a traditional social-democratic party, committed to building a welfare state. During the 1970s, it radicalized its program and included new issues, such as women's liberation, environmental conservation and Third World development. During the 1990s, it moderated its program, including reform of the welfare state and privatization of public enterprise. In 2005, the party adopted a new program of principles, expressing a centre-left ideology. Its core issues are employment, social security and welfare, and investing in public education, public safety and health care.

Representation

Year	HoR	S	EP	SP	Fractievoorzitter	Lijsttrekker	Cabinet	Party Chair	Members
1946	29	14	n/a	157	Marinus van der Goes van Naters	Several Willem Drees, Jaap Burger, Marinus van der Goes van Naters, Dolf Joekes, Piet Lieftinck, Sicco Mansholt, Willem Schermerhorn, Koos Vorrink and Hein Vos	Willem Schermerhorn (PM)	Koos Vorrink	114558
1947	29	14	n/a	157	Marinus van der Goes van Naters	no election	Willem Schermerhorn (PM)	Koos Vorrink	108813
1948	27	14	n/a	157	Marinus van der Goes van Naters	Several Willem Drees, Marinus van der Goes van Naters, Dolf Joekes, Piet Lieftinck, Sicco Mansholt, Willem Schermerhorn, Koos Vorrink and Hein Vos	Willem Drees (PM)	Koos Vorrink	117244
1949	27	14	n/a	157	Marinus van der Goes van Naters	No election	Willem Drees (PM)	Koos Vorrink	109608
1950	27	14	n/a	156	Marinus van der Goes van Naters	No election	Willem Drees (PM)	Koos Vorrink	105609
1951	27	14	n/a	156	Leendert Donker	No election	Willem Drees (PM)	Koos Vorrink	111885
1952	30	14	n/a	156	Jaap Burger	Willem Drees	Willem Drees (PM)	Koos Vorrink	111351
1953	30	14	n/a	156	Jaap Burger	no elections	Willem Drees (PM)	Hein Vos (interim)	112823
1954	30	14	n/a	180	Jaap Burger	no elections	Willem Drees (PM)	Hein Vos (interim)	119561
1955	30	14	n/a	180	Jaap Burger	no elections	Willem Drees (PM)	Evert Vermeer	124641
1956	34	22	n/a	180	Jaap Burger	Willem Drees	Willem Drees (PM)	Evert Vermeer	142140
1957	34	22	n/a	180	Jaap Burger	no elections	Willem Drees (PM)	Evert Vermeer	142849
1958	34	22	n/a	178	Jaap Burger	no elections	Willem Drees (PM)	Evert Vermeer	137778
1959	48	22	n/a	178	Jaap Burger	several Jaap Burger, H.J. Hofstra, Ivo Samkalden, Ko Suurhoff, Anne Vondeling and Joan Willems	opposition	Evert Vermeer	147047
1960	48	23	n/a	178	Jaap Burger	no elections	opposition	Hein Vos (interim)	142853
1961	48	23	n/a	178	Jaap Burger	no elections	opposition	Ko Suurhoff	138829
1962	48	23	n/a	207	Jaap Burger	no elections	opposition	Ko Suurhoff	139375
1963	43	25	n/a	207	Anne Vondeling	several Ko Suurhoff, Anne Vondeling and Joan Willems	opposition	Ko Suurhoff	138567
1964	43	25	n/a	207	Anne Vondeling	No elections	opposition	Ko Suurhoff	142426
1965	43	25	n/a	207	Gerard Nederhorst	No elections	Anne Vondeling (VPM)	Sjeng Tans	140389
1966	43	22	n/a	170	Gerard Nederhorst	No elections	Opposition	Sjeng Tans	134476
1967	37	22	n/a	170	Joop den Uyl	Joop den Uyl	Opposition	Sjeng Tans	130960
1968	37	22	n/a	170	Joop den Uyl	No elections	Opposition	Sjeng Tans	116736
1969	37	20	n/a	170	Joop den Uyl	No elections	Opposition	Anne Vondeling	107005
1970	37	20	n/a	172+711	Joop den Uyl	No elections	Opposition	Anne Vondeling	98671
1971	39	18	n/a	172+711	Joop den Uyl	Joop den Uyl	Opposition	André van der Louw	96337
1972	43	18	n/a	172+711	Joop den Uyl	Joop den Uyl	Opposition	André van der Louw	94229
1973	43	18	n/a	172+711	Ed van Thijn	No elections	Joop den Uyl (PM)	André van der Louw	97787
1974	43	21	n/a	217+181	Ed van Thijn	No elections	Joop den Uyl (PM)	Ien van den Heuvel-de Blank	103140
1975	43	21	n/a	217+181	Ed van Thijn	No elections	Joop den Uyl (PM)	Ien van den Heuvel-de Blank	100524
1976	43	21	n/a	217+181	Ed van Thijn	No elections	Joop den Uyl (PM)	Ien van den Heuvel-de Blank	95548
1977	53	25	n/a	217+181	Ed van Thijn	Joop den Uyl	Opposition	Ien van den Heuvel-de Blank	109659
1978	53	25	n/a	254+161	Joop den Uyl	No elections	Opposition	Ien van den Heuvel-de Blank	121274
1979	53	25	9	254+161	Joop den Uyl	No elections	Opposition	Max van den Berg	118522
1980	53	26	9	254+161	Joop den Uyl	No elections	Opposition	Max van den Berg	112929
1981	44	28	9	254+161	Wim Meijer	Joop den Uyl	Joop den Uyl (VPM)	Max van den Berg	109557
1982	47	28	9	177+111	Joop den Uyl	Joop den Uyl	Opposition	Max van den Berg	105486
1983	47	27	9	177+111	Joop den Uyl	No elections	Opposition	Max van den Berg	101724
1984	47	27	9	177+111	Joop den Uyl	No elections	Opposition	Max van den Berg	99347
1985	47	27	9	177+111	Joop den Uyl	No elections	Opposition	Max van den Berg	100979
1986	52	27	9	177	Wim Kok	Joop den Uyl	Opposition	Stan Poppe (interim)	103760
1987	52	26	9	262	Wim Kok	No elections	Opposition	Marjanne Sint	101019
1988	52	26	9	262	Wim Kok	No elections	Opposition	Marjanne Sint	96722
1989	49	26	8	262	Thijs Wöltgens	Wim Kok	Wim Kok (VPM)	Marjanne Sint	96600
1990	49	26	8	262	Thijs Wöltgens	No elections	Wim Kok (VPM)	Marjanne Sint	91784
1991	49	16	8	166	Thijs Wöltgens	No elections	Wim Kok (VPM)	Frits Castricum (interim)	79059
1992	49	16	8	166	Thijs Wöltgens	No elections	Wim Kok (VPM)	Felix Rottenberg	73807
1993	49	16	8	166	Thijs Wöltgens	No elections	Wim Kok (VPM)	Felix Rottenberg	69464
1994	37	16	8	166	Jacques Wallage	Wim Kok	Wim Kok (PM)	Felix Rottenberg	68053
1995	37	14	8	142	Jacques Wallage	No elections	Wim Kok (PM)	Felix Rottenberg	64523
1996	37	14	8	142	Jacques Wallage	No elections	Wim Kok (PM)	Ruud Vreeman (interim)	60907
1997	37	14	8	142	Jacques Wallage	No elections	Wim Kok (PM)	Karin Adelmund	61720
1998	45	14	8	142	Ad Melkert	Wim Kok	Wim Kok (PM)	Ruud Vreeman (interim)	61600
1999	45	15	6	154	Ad Melkert	No elections	Wim Kok (PM)	Marijke van Hees	60621
2000	45	15	6	154	Ad Melkert	No elections	Wim Kok (PM)	Mariëtte Hamer (interim)	57374
2001	45	15	6	154	Ad Melkert	No elections	Wim Kok (PM)	Ruud Koole	58426
2002	23	15	6	154	Jeltje van Nieuwenhoven (interim)	Ad Melkert	Opposition	Ruud Koole	57374
2003	42	19	6	197	Wouter Bos	Wouter Bos	Opposition	Ruud Koole	60062
2004	42	19	7	197	Wouter Bos	No elections	Opposition	Ruud Koole	61935
2005	42	19	7	197	Wouter Bos	No elections	Opposition	Michiel van Hulten	61111
2006	33	19	7	197	Wouter Bos	No elections	Opposition	Michiel van Hulten	61913
2007	33	14	7	114	Jacques Tichelaar	Wouter Bos	Wouter Bos (VPM)	Lilianne Ploumen

¹: In combined PvdA/PPR groups (estimate).

Ministers

The PvdA is currently not participating in a coalition cabinet. At this moment (Aug. 2011) formation of cabinet is still busy. Most likely however PvdA will becoming leader of opposition against a centrum-right coaliton of [VVD], [PVV] and [CDA]

Members of the House of Representatives

After the 2006 elections, the party has 33 representatives in the House of Representatives:

Members of the Senate

Following the 2003 Senate elections, the party has 19 representatives in the Senate:

• T.R. Doesburg
• S.J. van Driel
• J.H. Eigeman
• J. Hamel
• E.C.M. Jurgens
• F. Leijnse
• M.Y. Linthorst
• T.A. Maas-de Brouwer
• M.C. Meindertsma
• L.P. Middel
• H.C.P. Noten, fractievoorzitter
• K. Putters
• R. Rabbinge
• J.J. Sylvester
• I.Y. Tan
• E. van Thijn
• M. Westerveld
• A.C.C. Witteman
• W.J. Witteveen

Members of the European Parliament

PvdA MEPs are part of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats group, and the PvdA is a full member of the Party of European Socialists.

After the 2004 European Parliament elections, the party has seven representatives in the European Parliament:

• Max van den Berg, fractievoorzitter
• Edith Mastenbroek
• Jan Marinus Wiersma
• Emine Bozkurt
• Dorette Corbey
• Thijs Berman
• Ieke van den Burg

Municipal and provincial government

Provincial government

Two of the 12 Queen's commissioners are members of the PvdA. The party cooperates in all Gedeputeerde Staten except for North Holland.

Municipal government

122 of the 414 mayors of the Netherlands are members of the PvdA. The best known of them is Ahmed Aboutaleb, mayor of Rotterdam. The party cooperates in many municipal executives, and after the 2006 municipal elections it expected to cooperate in many more.

Electorate

Historically, the PvdA was supported by the working class. Currently the party is supported relatively well by civil servants, migrants, and the working class. The party has historically been very strong in the major cities, such as Amsterdam, and Rotterdam and in the northern provinces of Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe

Organisation

Organisational structure

The highest organ of the PvdA is the Congress, formed by delegates from the municipal branches. It convenes once every year. It appoints the party board, decides the order of candidates on electoral lists for the Senate, House of Representatives and European Parliament and has the final say over the party program. Since 2002, a referendum of all members has partially replaced the Congress. Both the lijsttrekker of the House of Representatives candidate list, who is the political leader of the party, and the party chairman, who leads the party organisation, are selected by such a referendum. In 2002, Wouter Bos won the PvdA leadership election.

Members

The PvdA currently has 62,000 members. They are organised in over 500 municipal branches.

Linked organisations

The Young Socialists (Jonge Socialisten, JS) is the youth organisation of the PvdA. It is a member of the European Community of Socialist Youth (ECOSY), and the International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY). They publish the periodical Lava.

Rood is the party periodical. It appears eight times a year.

The scientific institute of the PvdA is the Wiardi Beckman Foundation. It publishes the periodical Socialisme & Democratie.

The PvdA participates in the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy, a democracy assistance organisation of seven Dutch political parties.

International organisations

The PvdA is a member of the Party of European Socialists and the Socialist International.

Pillarised organisations

During the period of strong pillarisation the PvdA had strong links with the social-democratic broadcasting organisation Omroepvereniging VARA, the trade union NVV, and the paper Het Vrije Volk. Although pillarisation has weakened, the PvdA still has friendly relations with the largest trade union FNV and the leftwing broadsheet De Volkskrant.

Relationships to other parties

PvdA activists in a demonstration (October 2004)

Historically, the PvdA has co-operated in cabinets with the Christian-democratic Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), Political Party of Radicals (PPR), Catholic People's Party (KVP), Anti Revolutionary Party (ARP), Christian Historical Union (CHU) and ChristianUnion (CU) parties and the liberal parties Democrats 66 (D66) and People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). Between 1971 and 1977, Labour was allied with D66 and the PPR. After 1977 until 1989, it was closely allied to D66. Since 2003, the relationship between the PvdA and D66 has considerably worsened, at first because PvdA was in opposition to the cabinet D66 co-operated in.

During the governance of the second and third Balkenende cabinet, the Socialist Party and the GreenLeft were calling for closer cooperation with the PvdA, calling to form a shadow government against the Balkenende cabinet, PvdA leader Bos held this off.

International comparison

Internationally, the PvdA is comparable to other European social-democratic parties that have adopted Third Way policies, like the Social Democratic Party of Germany but most of all the British Labour Party.

External links

• Template:Nl icon Partij van de Arbeid, official website
• Dutch Labour Party, English website