After years of discussion and a party that seemed to support her unconditionally, Lilian Marijnissen ended her party leadership last weekend. A few days later, just before the parliamentary debate on the formation, Groningen citizen Jimmy Dijk was appointed as the new party chairman and leader. And so, for the first time in a long time, no one from Brabant is the leader of the socialists.
For thirty years, Jan Marijnissen from Oss was the face of the party. Under his leadership, the SP achieved the best result in its history in 2006, in the aftermath of Fortuyn’s time: 25 seats turned tomato red.
These representatives were previously leaders of the SP:
- 1988 to 2008: Jan Marijnissen from Oss
- 2008 to 2010: Agnes Kant from Hessisch Oldendorf (Germany)
- 2010 to 2017: Emiel Roemer from Boxmeer
- 2017 to 2023: Lilian Marijnissen from Oss
Since the resignation of Jan Marijnissen, the SP has lost every House of Representatives election. And the party has also been in a state of decline in the provinces, municipal councils and in Europe for a long time.
So now it’s Jimmy Dijk’s turn. The 38-year-old Groningen native has only been a Member of Parliament since April and was previously group leader for the party in the Groningen municipal council. He has been a councilor there since 2010. He previously worked in a cardboard factory for ten years.
Firebreather
Dijk is known as combative. In the Groningen council he was once called a ‘fire breather’ and on the SP website his debate style is described as ‘attacking’. In the municipal council, he advocated, among other things, the rights of tenants and people living in poverty.
In this respect he seems to fit in well with his predecessor. Lilian Marijnissen also regularly showed off fiercely. It also does not seem that with a new face there will also be a new story at the SP: in the first newsletter, Dijk writes that ‘we have to crack the real contradictions’ and that he wants to make the SP great.
It is not surprising that, after a long line of Brabanders, a Groninger from Groningen will now lead the SP. Because while Oss was considered an SP stronghold for a long time, Groningen was known as a left-wing province for even longer. East Groningen is traditionally seen as the communist core of the Netherlands.
Whether Dijk will ever be able to win over these areas to the socialist story again remains to be seen. In the recent elections, BBB and PVV were convincingly chosen in both regions.
MORE STORIES ABOUT THE SP CAN BE FOUND HERE:
Lilian Marijnissen said goodbye to the House of Representatives
And politics also said goodbye to her
The SP has been in a downward spiral for a long time. Here you can read why