'Someone who is constantly involved', an 'admirable man' and a 'sphinx'. These are the words Ruud Lubbers' biographers use to describe him. On 6 November 2024, Johan van Merriënboer and Lennart Steenbergen, employees of the Centre for Parliamentary History (CPG), presented their robust biography of this former politician. He achieved great successes in the 1980s with the CDA (Christian Democratic Appeal). The book was presented to prime minister Dick Schoof during a closed meeting at the Catshuis. His speech can be read here. Other speakers included the daughter of Ruud and Ria Lubbers, Heleen de Mooij-Lubbers, scientific advisory committee chair Carla van Baalen, former deputy secretary Hans Borstlap and Sylvia Tóth, who was close friends with the Lubbers family.
The programme continued with a symposium in the Paleiskerk in The Hague. The biographers, together with panel chair Eva Kuit, discussed the writing process and Lubbers as an individual. Afterwards, Lubbers' contemporaries looked back on his personality, language use, working methods and tragedy. Former ministers Pieter Winsemius and Jan Pronk praised Lubbers for his ability to gradually develop his thoughts throughout a conversation. He may have been known for being meddlesome, for his 'thinking along', but he was a good listener and was receptive to well-supported arguments. Journalist Tom-Jan Meeuws was present when Lubbers gave a speech at the Houtrusthallen in 1985. He saw how the audience turned their backs on Lubbers and how the hired band kept playing songs once Lubbers tried to start a new sentence. 'Brave', is what Meeus called the fact that Lubbers finished the speech unfazed. Former campaign manager Jan Schinkelshoek revealed how the Catholic Lubbers acquired his taste for malt wine (a 'Reformed drink') and talked about how the slogan 'Laat Lubbers zijn karwei afmaken' ('Let Lubbers finish the job') came about. The event ended with a glass of malt wine - for those interested.
