André van der Louw

Arie Andries (André) van der Louw was a Dutch politician and director.

Van der Louw was born in The Hague as the son of the milk farmer Cornelis van der Louw and Sjouke Eker. He followed the Mulo and the Middle East trade fair school in The Hague, and was in his youth board member of the Labor Youth Center (AJC), about which he later wrote the book Red as your heart . At the age of 16, he became a member of the PvdA.

Van der Louw started his career at the Hague Institute for Development. From 1957 to 1971 he worked as a press officer at VARA, and in 1965 he became editor of the youth magazine Hitweek, the predecessor of the magazine Aloha. Because he was 32 years older than the rest of the editors, and because of his pipe had a paternal appearance, he soon became the de facto chairman of the editors.

At the same time he worked at VARA he was active in the PvdA. Together with Tom Pauka, Jan Nagel and Han Lammer, he was the pioneer of the New Links renewal movement, and co-author of the manifesto 'Ten over red'. Van der Louw hoped to be able to renew the PvdA from within. When he was elected on March 15, 1969 with six other New Left members during a tumultuous party congress, a member of the party board (Van der Louw became vice president), he experienced this as the success of his strategy. His delight in this he expressed in a dance through the congress hall, which has since been known as Van der Louw's prophecy. Van der Louw was chairman of the PvdA from 1971 to 1974.

In 1974 he became Mayor of Rotterdam. At that time, the PvdA had a clear majority of the population for years, and Van der Louw profiled itself by exposing the red flag on May 1 and releasing the municipal staff. Van der Louw was a popular and competent mayor. In 1981, Van der Louw was asked by PvdA leader Joop den Uyl as Minister of CRM to join the Cabinet of Agt-Den Uyl. Van der Louw made the proposal to employ young people in a job plan for young people called "community action plan". Angry young activists then spit his front yard.  The ministry did not agree, Van der Louw was convinced that Den Uyl was "misled" and made the wrong choice. He was clearly unhappy.

The government of Agt-Den Uyl was abandoned after eight months, and in 1982 Van der Louw took a short time in the Lower House. Van der Louw was then approached to become mayor of Amsterdam. That job eventually went to another former minister, Ed van Thijn.

From 1982, he fulfilled various governing functions: Chairman of the Public Body Rijnmond (1983-1986), a body soon canceled after his appointment, section chairman paid football KNVB (1986-1989), Broadcasting Board (1986-1988), Media Council (1988 -1994), and the NOS (as chairman, 1994-1997).

Van der Louw had repeatedly spoken in the PvdA. In 1991, he began the Social Democratic Renewal Platform that sought to renew the party. This renewal movement was founded in The Red Hat and was therefore also called the Red Hat Group. The weekly magazine Elsevier spoke of the gang of four: Hans Kombrink, André van der Louw, Eduard Bomhoff, and Maurice de Hond; who would be fond of Wim Kok's leadership.
He died at the age of 72 in his hometown of Scheveningen.