Joop den Uyl
Johannes Marten den Uijl, better known as Joop den Uyl was a Dutch politician of the Labour Party and economist who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 11 May 1973 until 19 December 1977.
Den Uyl attended the in Hilversum from June 1931 until June 1936 and applied at the University of Amsterdam in June 1936 majoring in Economics and obtaining an Bachelor of Economics degree in June 1938. On 10 May 1940 Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands and the government fled to London to escape the German occupation. During the German occupation Den Uyl continued his study and graduated with an Master of Economics degree in April 1942. Den Uyl was sympathetic with the Dutch resistance against the German occupiers and worked as a journalist and editor for the underground newspapers Het Parool and Free Netherlands from April 1942 until January 1949. Den Uyl worked as a civil servant for the Ministry of Economic Affairs from April 1942 until May 1945. Den Uyl worked as the director of the Wiardi Beckman Foundation from January 1949 until June 1963. Den Uyl served on the Municipal Council of Amsterdam from September 1953 until April 1965. Den Uyl became a Member of the House of Representatives after the election of 1956 when the number of seats in the House of Representatives was raised from 100 to 150 seats, taking office on 6 November 1956. In May 1963 Den Uyl was appointed as an Alderman in Amsterdam, he resigned as a Member of the House of Representatives the day he was installed as an Alderman, taking office on 5 June 1963.
On 27 February 1965 the Cabinet Marijnen fell and continued to serve in a demissionary capacity until the cabinet formation of 1965 when it was replaced by Cabinet Cals with Den Uyl appointed as Minister of Economic Affairs, taking office on 14 April 1965. After the Leader of the Labour Party and incumbent Deputy Prime Minister Anne Vondeling unexpectedly announced he was stepping down as Leader the Labour Party leadership approached Den Uyl as a candidate to succeed him, Den Uyl accepted and became the Leader of the Labour Party and Lijsttrekker of the Labour Party for the election of 1967 on 13 September 1966. The Cabinet Cals fell shortly thereafter on 14 October 1966 and continued to serve in a demissionary capacity until it was replaced by the caretaker Cabinet Zijlstra on 22 November 1966. After the election of 1967 the Labour Party suffered a small loss, losing 6 seats but retained its place as the second largest party and now had 37 seats in the House of Representatives. Den Uyl subsequently returned as a Member of the House of Representatives and became the Parliamentary leader of the Labour Party in the House of Representatives, taking office on 23 February 1967. For the election of 1971 Den Uyl served again as Lijsttrekker. The Labour Party made a small win, gaining 2 seats and became the largest party and now had 39 seats in the House of Representatives. The following cabinet formation of 1971 resulted in a coalition agreement which formed the Cabinet Biesheuvel I without the Labour Party and Den Uyl continued to serve in the House of Representatives as Opposition leader. For the election of 1972 Den Uyl served for a third time as Lijsttrekker. The Labour Party made a small win, gaining 4 seats and retained its place as the largest party and now had 43 seats in the House of Representatives. Member of the Council of State and former Leader of the Labour Party Jaap Burger was appointed as Formateur to form a new cabinet and the following cabinet formation of 1972 resulted in a coalition agreement between the Labour Party, the Catholic People's Party, the Anti-Revolutionary Party, the Political Party of Radicals and the Democrats 66 which formed the Cabinet Den Uyl with Den Uyl becoming Prime Minister of the Netherlands and Minister of General Affairs, taking office on 11 May 1973.
The Cabinet Den Uyl fell on 22 March 1977 after four years of tensions in the coalition and continued to serve in a demissionary capacity. For the election of 1977 Den Uyl served for a fourth time as Lijsttrekker. The Labour Party made a large win, gaining 10 seats and retained its place as the largest party and now had 53 seats in the House of Representatives. Den Uyl subsequently returned as a Member of the House of Representatives and as Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives, taking office on 8 June 1977 but he was still serving in the cabinet and because of dualism customs in the constitutional convention of Dutch politics he couldn't serve a dual mandate he subsequently resigned as a Member of the House of Representatives and Parliamentary leader on 8 September 1977. Den Uyl was appointed as Formateur to form a new cabinet. Following several failed cabinet formation attempts Den Uyl stepped down as Formateur and was replaced by Member of the Senate Wil Albeda of the Anti-Revolutionary Party as Informateur. Following two more failed cabinet formation attempts the Leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal Dries van Agt struck a deal with the Leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy Hans Wiegel that resulted in a coalition agreement which formed the Van Agt–Wiegel cabinet, the Cabinet Den Uyl was replaced by the Cabinet Van Agt-Wiegel on 19 December 1977 and Den Uyl subsequently returned as a Member of the House of Representatives and as Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives after the resignation of Kees van den Anker, taking office on 16 January 1978 and served again as Opposition leader. Den Uyl also served as President of the Party of European Socialists from 8 March 1980 until 19 May 1987. For the election of 1981 Den Uyl served for a fifth time as Lijsttrekker. The Labour Party suffered a big loss, losing 9 seats and fell back as the second largest party and now had 44 seats in the House of Representatives. The Following cabinet formation of 1981 resulted in a coalition agreement between the Labour Party, the Christian Democratic Appeal and the Democrats 66 which formed the Cabinet Van Agt II with Den Uyl appointed as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Social Affairs and Employment and Minister for Netherlands Antilles Affairs, taking office on 11 September 1981.
The Cabinet Van Agt II fell just seven months into its term on 12 May 1982 and continued to serve in a demissionary capacity until it was replaced by the caretaker Cabinet Van Agt III on 29 May 1982. For the election of 1982 Den Uyl served once again as Lijsttrekker. The Labour Party made a small win, gaining 3 seats and became the largest party and again and now had 47 seats in the House of Representatives. Den Uyl subsequently returned again as a Member of the House of Representatives and as Parliamentary leader, taking office on 16 September 1982. The following cabinet formation of 1982 resulted in a coalition agreement which formed the Cabinet Lubbers I without the Labour Party and Den Uyl continued to serve in the House of Representatives again as Opposition leader. For the election of 1986 Den Uyl served for the seventh and last time as Lijsttrekker. The Labour Party made a small win, gaining 5 seats but fell back as the second largest party and now had 52 seats in the House of Representatives. The following cabinet formation of 1986 resulted in a continuation of the previous coalition agreement which formed the Cabinet Lubbers II again without the Labour Party. Shortly after installation of the new cabinet Den Uyl announced that he was stepping down as Leader of the Labour Party and Parliamentary leader and endorsed Wim Kok as a candidate to succeed him. On 21 July 1986 Den Uyl stepped down als Leader and Parliamentary leader but continued to serve in the House of Representatives as a backbencher. In October 1987 Den Uyl was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor, he died three months later at the age of 68.
Den Uyl was known as an idealistic, but also polarising politician. Throughout history, Dutch political leaders have tended to soothing manners – Den Uyl was one of a relatively few exceptions. People either loved him or hated him. Followers of his idealistic policies called him Ome Joop. He was criticised for creating a budget deficit and polarising Dutch politics. Associated with Den Uyl was the maakbare samenleving. Another idea associated with Den Uyl was de verbeelding aan de macht.
Early life
Johannes Marten den Uijl was born on 9 August 1919 in the town of Hilversum. He was born in a Calvinist reformed family. His father, Johannes den Uyl, was a shopkeeper and a basket weaver who died when Den Uyl was 10. Den Uyl attended the Christian Lyceum, the modern-day Comenius College, in Hilversum from 1931 to 1936. Following this he studied Economics at the University of Amsterdam. During this period in his life he left the church. In 1942 he attained the doctorandus degree. Until 1945 he was a civil servant at the National Bureau for Prices of Chemical Products, part of the Ministry of Economic Affairs. During that period he was part of the underground newspaper group that published the clandestine Het Parool. After World War II, Den Uyl worked for Het Parool, Vrij Nederland and other former resistance papers. From January 1949 to 1963 he was the head of the Wiardi Beckman Stichting, the think tank of the social democratic Labour Party. In 1953, at the invitation of the American government, Den Uyl stayed in the United States for a few months, gaining an appreciation of the American experience.Political career
In 1953 Den Uyl was elected to the municipal council of Amsterdam and in 1956 he was elected to the House of Representatives. In 1963 he became municipal administrator for economic affairs in Amsterdam, resigning his parliamentary seat. He resigned that post in 1965 to become Minister of Economic Affairs in the Cals cabinet. As the responsible minister, he decided to close the uneconomic coal mines in Limburg, causing high local unemployment. Following the parliamentary elections of 1967, he became leader of the Labour Party in parliament.Den Uyl's Labour Party won the 1972 election in alliance with the progressive liberal Democrats 66 and radical Christian Political Party of Radicals, but failed to achieve a majority in parliament. After lengthy negotiations, he formed Den Uyl cabinet with the Christian democratic Catholic People's Party and Anti-Revolutionary Party. This cabinet faced many problems. An early problem was the 1973 oil boycott following the Dutch support of Israel in the Yom Kippur war. Den Uyl said in a speech on national television that "things would never return to the way they were" and implemented fuel rationing and a ban on Sunday driving.
Between 1973 and 1977, the country's economic situation turned ugly. The government's budget deficit increased tenfold, inflation approached 10 percent, the unemployment rate doubled, and the current account went from positive to negative – the latter a critical problem in a country that rises or falls on foreign trade. Despite economic difficulties, however, the government was able to enact a wide range of progressive social reforms, such as significant increases in welfare payments, the indexation of benefits and the minimum wage to contractual private sector wage developments, a system of rent rebates, and a universal work incapacity insurance scheme. The Primary Education Act of October 1974 gave more freedom to school heads regarding the programming of the curriculum, and an Act of June 1974 made supplementary benefits available to unemployed persons who accepted lower paid- work. In addition, a law of June 1976 enabled employees aged sixty, two years after the first date of receipt of benefits, to continue receiving them until the age of sixty-five. The purpose of this legislation was to improve the financial circumstances of older employees who are unemployed for a long time. In August 1976, job protection was introduced during pregnancy and for 12 weeks following childbirth. The number of years of full compulsory education were increased, and an Act on equal pay in the private sector was introduced. In addition, investments were carried out in social services, such as home care services for families.
A regulation was introduced in September 1973 providing for the employment of persons "for whom it is difficult to find employment and who have been in prolonged unemployment." In January 1974, a statutory minimum wage for young people between the ages of 15 and 22 was introduced, and in March 1974 the insurance scheme for wage and salary earners was extended to cover the costs of physiotherapy treatment "where this has been prescribed by a doctor." In September 1975, a regulation on the promotion of vocational training for young people was introduced, aimed at "a great number of young people who, as a result of the present educational system, depend on on-the-job training within the framework of the Apprenticeship Law." The chances of obtaining an individual rent subsidy were also significantly increased, while an Act of June 1975 amended a number of existing Acts "with a view to introducing changes regarding the organisation and the districts of factory inspection and the inspection of ports and dangerous machinery,” and also conferred legislative powers on the Minister of Social Affairs under the Act "concerning the loading and unloading of ocean-going vessels and extended the scope of the Silicosis Act."
The Collective Redundancy Act of 1976 imposed an obligation on employers "to give written notice of this intention to the relevant trade unions for consultation," while that same year consultative works councils were replaced by powerful ones modelled after the German works councils. Also in 1976, a law was passed forbidding dismissal upon pregnancy or marriage for all women.
A February 1976 regulation on accidents in nuclear installations provided for interministerial coordination on measures to be taken "in the event of accidents and for the preparation of an emergency plan," while a law of June 1976 provided for special measures for unemployed persons who reached the age of 60 and who had used up their rights to unemployment benefit. A law of December 1976 relaxed the conditions for exemption from national insurance contributions or entitlement to ·pay reduced contributions, and also extended entitlement to orphans' pensions "to illegitimate children whose mothers are dead and who have not been recognised by their fathers." The Asbestos Decree of April 1977 prohibited the storage and use of crocidolite and materials or products containing crocidolite and also prohibited "the spraying of asbestos or materials or products containing asbestos and their use for thermal insulation or for acoustic, preservative or decorative purposes." In September 1977, regulations were issued "regarding the conditions under which young persons of 16 and over may exceptionally drive agricultural tractors." In May 1977, a subsidy scheme for the placing of handicapped persons was introduced.
In 1977, the Den Uyl cabinet fell due to a conflict between Den Uyl and the Catholic People's Party Minister of Justice Dries van Agt. The Labour Party entered the subsequent election under the banner "Vote for the Prime Minister". The Labour Party won by a landslide, receiving over 33% percent of the votes, a relatively large share in the divided politics of the Netherlands at that time, and 53 seats. Labour's coalition partner Democrats 66 also made gains, from 6 to 8 seats. However, its other coalition partner, the Political Party of Radicals, lost nearly all its seats, making it impossible for Den Uyl to form a new government that he could count on to support him in parliament. More than 200 days after the election, the Christian Democratic Appeal formed a cabinet with the liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, supported by a small majority of 77 seats.
After being opposition leader from 1977 to 1981, Den Uyl returned to government in 1981. The Labour Party formed a coalition with the Christian Democratic Appeal and the Democrats 66. Den Uyl became Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Social Affairs and Employment. Van Agt, by now Den Uyl's nemesis, led this cabinet. The cabinet was in constant internal conflict and fell after eight months. The Labour Party won the snap election of 1982, but could not agree on a new coalition with the Christian Democratic Appeal. As a result, Den Uyl returned to parliament and led the Labour Party in opposition until 1986. As leader of the main opposition party, Den Uyl, always a soft-spoken Atlanticist, provided cover for the government's controversial decision to place NATO cruise missiles on Dutch soil. In turn, this decision, and a similar one by the Belgian government, satisfied one of the West German conditions for the placement of cruise missiles and Pershing II missiles in West Germany.
Family and later life
On 30 August 1944, Den Uyl married Liesbeth den Uyl, née Van Vessem. They had three sons and four daughters. Of those the eldest Saskia Noorman-den Uyl became a member of parliament for the Labour Party herself serving until 1994 until 2006. Xander den Uyl became a leading figure in ABVAKABO, one of the Dutch labour unions and serves as Member of the Provincial-Council of North Holland for the Labour Party since 2011.After the elections of 1986, in which the Labour Party won 5 seats but failed to retain its position as largest party, Den Uyl left politics. He was succeeded as leader of the Labour Party by Wim Kok. He died on Christmas Eve of 1987, aged 68, of a brain tumor.