Marcel van Dam

Marcel Parcival Arthur van Dam (; born 30 January 1938) is a retired Dutch politician of the Labour Party (PvdA) and journalist.

Van Dam worked as a researcher for the Wiardi Beckman Foundation from April 1967 until September 1969. Van Dam also was active as a political activist and was one of the leaders of the New Left movement in the Netherlands which aimed to steer the Labour Party more to the left. Van Dam worked as a journalist for the VARA from September 1969 until May 1973 as an ombudsman from September 1969 until May 1973 and as an editor from April 1971 until May 1973. After the 1972 general election Van Dam was appointed as State Secretary for Housing and Spatial Planning in the Den Uyl cabinet, taking office on 11 May 1973. The cabinet fell on 22 March 1977 and continued to serve in a demissionary capacity. Van Dam was elected to the House of Representatives in the 1977 general election, 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 could not serve a dual mandate he subsequently resigned as State Secretary on 8 September 1977. After the 1981 general election Van Dam was appointed as Minister of Housing and Spatial Planning in the Van Agt II cabinet, taking office on 11 September 1981. The cabinet 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 Van Agt III cabinet on 29 May 1982. After the 1982 general election Van Dam returned to the House of Representatives, taking office on 16 September 1982.

In December 1985 Van Dam was nominated as chairman of the board of directors of public broadcaster VARA, he resigned from the House of Representatives on 22 January 1986 and was installed as a chairman serving from 10 January 1986 until 30 November 1995. Van Dam remained active in the public sector for the VARA working as a television presenter and television producer for several political programs from January 1996 until January 2005 and occupied numerous seats as a nonprofit director on several boards of directors and supervisory boards (International Institute of Social History, Terre des hommes, International Fellowship of Reconciliation and the Institute for Multiparty Democracy) and as an advocate and activist for social justice, social integration, anti-war movement, multiculturalism, minority groups and housing reformer.

Van Dam is known for his abilities as a debater and negotiator. Following his retirement Van Dam remains active as a political pundit and columnist for the VARA and the ''de Volkskrant'' and continues to comment on political affairs. Provided by Wikipedia