Annie Lodewijkx (90) from Son has been a member of the Labor Party (PvdA) for 75 years. But she didn’t really think about it herself. Until she was surprised on Sunday morning by a PvdA delegation, including former minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem. “I have remained a loyal member all these years and still do. Of course I sometimes think, ‘how can the PvdA do this or that!’ But they do other things very well.”
The visit on Sunday morning came as a complete surprise. Annie had already planned a visit that morning, but more visitors came spontaneously.
Jeroen Dijsselbloem, also a former resident of Son, congratulated her and handed her a special party pin. She received a large bunch of red roses from Joris van Dam, leader of PvdA-GroenLinks Son en Breugel. “This is really a surprise to me, I didn’t know about it and didn’t think about it. We also had a nice chat.”
Walking is less easy these days, she says. But Annie is still very clear-headed. She knows how to explain in great detail where her political involvement comes from.
She comes from a political nest, her father Kees van Lienden Before the Second World War, he was a member of the House of Representatives for the SDAP, the predecessor of the PvdA. He later sat on the municipal council of Eindhoven and became a member of the Provincial Council and deputy of Brabant.
“We had a lot of conversations at home, about social inequality in the country. That there should be good and affordable housing for workers. Everything is decided through politics, it has always interested me.”
At the age of sixteen she becomes a member of the youth section, later she becomes a councilor in the municipality of Son en Breugel. She is now also the mother of three young children. That combination was not always easy.
“The committee meetings were at 5 p.m. That was rush hour for us as mothers. Together with a female colleague, I ensured that from now on we would meet at 7 p.m. Although the men were less happy with that.”
She remained a member of the council until 1982. “It was beautiful then. I’ve done a lot and I’ve learned a lot from it. About how the municipality works, how laws work.” She still follows politics faithfully, even at the age of 90. She reads two newspapers daily to stay informed.
Despite the fact that she does not always agree with the decisions of the current PvdA, she has never taken the step to cancel her membership. The collaboration with GroenLinks is also positive for her. “I also agree with GroenLinks on many points, but not always in the economic field. I still strongly support the thinking of the PvdA. A social party that goes for a fair distribution in all kinds of areas.”