Bart Jan Spruyt
Encyclopedia
Dr. Bastian Jan Spruyt (born January 29, 1964 in Ridderkerk
, Zuid-Holland) is a Dutch
historian
, journalist
and conservative
writer.
and law
at the Utrecht University
and Leiden University
He is a practising Christian
of the Hersteld Hervormde Kerk denomination
. Spruyt obtained his M.A. in Renaissance and Reformation History in 1990 from Utrecht with the highest honors. Spruyt was a graduate student at Leiden University
from February 1991 through February 1994 and obtained a doctorate
in February 1996 on an English-language dissertation entitled 'Cornelius Henrici Hoen (Honius) and his Epistle on the Eucharist (1525): Medieval Heresy, Erasmian Humanism, and Reform in the Early Sixteenth-Century Low Countries', which was supervised by Prof. Posthumus Meyjes (Leiden) and the late Prof. Heiko A. Oberman (Arizona). A book version of this dissertation was published in 2006 by E. J. Brill in their series 'Studies in Medieval and Reformation Traditions: History, Culture, Religion, Ideas'. Spruyt published scholarly papers in such journals as the Dutch Review of Church History, Sixteenth Century Journal, Wolfenbütteler Renaissance Mitteilungen, English Historical Review, Quaerendo
, and Reformatorica.
, the sixth largest Dutch daily newspaper, with a mainly Protestant
readership. He covered Dutch politics and the foreign desk. His last position was from 2000 to 2002 as chief political editor and commentator of the newspaper, working from The Hague
. In the second half of 2006, he picked up his journalistic work again.
, Spruyt became the Foundation's director when the Foundation opened up its own offices in The Hague. Livestro soon left the Foundation and Spruyt was managing director for three years. In that period, he openly sought to emulate the American conservative movement—taking the Intercollegiate Studies Institute
, the Heritage Foundation
and the American Enterprise Institute
as his leading examples. Under his leadership, the Foundation worked to make the legacy of such conservative politicians as Ronald Reagan
relevant to the Dutch political climate. To that end, the Burke Foundation called for significant budget cuts, tax cuts (especially of income tax) including the implementation of a flat tax, health care reform, and welfare reform. The Foundation also defended the Bush administration's war on terror
, argued for increased defence spending, stronger American-European links, and played a major role in the Dutch campaign against the European Constitution in June 2005. The Foundation also had a more philosophical and student-focused program. During parts of 2004 and 2005 Spruyt, among other prominent Dutch intellectuals, had to hire private security services, given the bad political climate in the Netherlands following the murder of Theo van Gogh
.
started a conservative party in 2004, Spruyt supported that move, hoping that it could spur a movement inspired on the basis of American conservatism
. From January through August 2006 Spruyt advised Wilders on political strategy. In August, however, he announced that he was disappointed with the development of the nascent Wilders party and would not stand as a parliamentary candidate on the Wilders slate. Spruyt believed that Wilders should have formed a broad conservative front with other politicians like Marco Pastors
(of Leefbaar Rotterdam
) and Joost Eerdmans
(of the LPF). But Wilders did not want to cooperate, the Dutch right splintered, and Spruyt decided to end his brief political career after six months. Spruyt has since criticized Wilders for being too radical.
on the topic "The Defence of the West: Neoconservatism and the continuing need for new Churchills." He blogs at Bart J. Spruyt Blog. He regularly writes for such publications as HP De Tijd and Binnenlands Bestuur. In 2008, he was named the successor of Pim Fortuyn as the columnist for a prominent Dutch weekly news magazine, Elsevier
. He continues to be chairman of the Edmund Burke Stichting
.
Ridderkerk
Ridderkerk is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality had a population of 44,886 in 2010, and covers an area of 25.10 km² ....
, Zuid-Holland) is a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
writer.
Academic background
Spruyt grew up in Rotterdam, and studied history, theologyTheology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
and law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
at the Utrecht University
Utrecht University
Utrecht University is a university in Utrecht, Netherlands. It is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands and one of the largest in Europe. Established March 26, 1636, it had an enrollment of 29,082 students in 2008, and employed 8,614 faculty and staff, 570 of which are full professors....
and Leiden University
Leiden University
Leiden University , located in the city of Leiden, is the oldest university in the Netherlands. The university was founded in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt in the Eighty Years' War. The royal Dutch House of Orange-Nassau and Leiden University still have a close...
He is a practising Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
of the Hersteld Hervormde Kerk denomination
Christian denomination
A Christian denomination is an identifiable religious body under a common name, structure, and doctrine within Christianity. In the Orthodox tradition, Churches are divided often along ethnic and linguistic lines, into separate churches and traditions. Technically, divisions between one group and...
. Spruyt obtained his M.A. in Renaissance and Reformation History in 1990 from Utrecht with the highest honors. Spruyt was a graduate student at Leiden University
Leiden University
Leiden University , located in the city of Leiden, is the oldest university in the Netherlands. The university was founded in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt in the Eighty Years' War. The royal Dutch House of Orange-Nassau and Leiden University still have a close...
from February 1991 through February 1994 and obtained a doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in February 1996 on an English-language dissertation entitled 'Cornelius Henrici Hoen (Honius) and his Epistle on the Eucharist (1525): Medieval Heresy, Erasmian Humanism, and Reform in the Early Sixteenth-Century Low Countries', which was supervised by Prof. Posthumus Meyjes (Leiden) and the late Prof. Heiko A. Oberman (Arizona). A book version of this dissertation was published in 2006 by E. J. Brill in their series 'Studies in Medieval and Reformation Traditions: History, Culture, Religion, Ideas'. Spruyt published scholarly papers in such journals as the Dutch Review of Church History, Sixteenth Century Journal, Wolfenbütteler Renaissance Mitteilungen, English Historical Review, Quaerendo
Quaerendo
Quaerendo is an academic journal devoted to manuscripts and printed books, especially in the Low Countries. It publishes scholarly articles dealing with codicology, palaeography and various aspects of the history of books from around 1500 until the present....
, and Reformatorica.
Journalist
From 1994 to 2002 Spruyt worked as a journalist for the Reformatorisch DagbladReformatorisch Dagblad
The Reformatorisch Dagblad is a Dutch protestant newspaper with a circulation of around 60,000, headquartered in Apeldoorn. The conservative newspaper was founded in 1971 and is associated with the Reformed Political Party; it is one of only a handful daily national papers remaining in the...
, the sixth largest Dutch daily newspaper, with a mainly Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
readership. He covered Dutch politics and the foreign desk. His last position was from 2000 to 2002 as chief political editor and commentator of the newspaper, working from The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
. In the second half of 2006, he picked up his journalistic work again.
Think tank director
As one of the leading voices of intellectual conservatism, Spruyt was instrumental in founding the Edmund Burke Foundation, the Dutch conservative group, in the second half of 2000. Together with conservative activist Joshua LivestroJoshua Livestro
Joshua Livestro is a Dutch columnist and political person. He was a former assistant to EU commissioner Frits Bolkestein....
, Spruyt became the Foundation's director when the Foundation opened up its own offices in The Hague. Livestro soon left the Foundation and Spruyt was managing director for three years. In that period, he openly sought to emulate the American conservative movement—taking the Intercollegiate Studies Institute
Intercollegiate Studies Institute
The Intercollegiate Studies Institute, Inc., or ', is a non-profit educational organization founded in 1953 as the Intercollegiate Society of Individualists...
, the Heritage Foundation
Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation is a conservative American think tank based in Washington, D.C. Heritage's stated mission is to "formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong...
and the American Enterprise Institute
American Enterprise Institute
The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research is a conservative think tank founded in 1943. Its stated mission is "to defend the principles and improve the institutions of American freedom and democratic capitalism—limited government, private enterprise, individual liberty and...
as his leading examples. Under his leadership, the Foundation worked to make the legacy of such conservative politicians as Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
relevant to the Dutch political climate. To that end, the Burke Foundation called for significant budget cuts, tax cuts (especially of income tax) including the implementation of a flat tax, health care reform, and welfare reform. The Foundation also defended the Bush administration's war on terror
War on Terror
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
, argued for increased defence spending, stronger American-European links, and played a major role in the Dutch campaign against the European Constitution in June 2005. The Foundation also had a more philosophical and student-focused program. During parts of 2004 and 2005 Spruyt, among other prominent Dutch intellectuals, had to hire private security services, given the bad political climate in the Netherlands following the murder of Theo van Gogh
Theo van Gogh (film director)
Theodoor "Theo" van Gogh was a Dutch film director, film producer, columnist, author and actor.Van Gogh worked with the Somali-born writer Ayaan Hirsi Ali to produce the film Submission, which criticized the treatment of women in Islam and aroused controversy among Muslims...
.
Politics
When Dutch politician Geert WildersGeert Wilders
Geert Wilders is a Dutch right-wing politician and leader of the Party for Freedom , the third-largest political party in the Netherlands. He is the Parliamentary group leader of his party in the Dutch House of Representatives...
started a conservative party in 2004, Spruyt supported that move, hoping that it could spur a movement inspired on the basis of American conservatism
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
. From January through August 2006 Spruyt advised Wilders on political strategy. In August, however, he announced that he was disappointed with the development of the nascent Wilders party and would not stand as a parliamentary candidate on the Wilders slate. Spruyt believed that Wilders should have formed a broad conservative front with other politicians like Marco Pastors
Marco Pastors
Marco Pastors is a Dutch politician. He is currently political leader of the local party Leefbaar Rotterdam, a member of the city council for Rotterdam and the political leader of Een NL, a Dutch political party at the national level...
(of Leefbaar Rotterdam
Leefbaar Rotterdam
Livable Rotterdam is a political party in the large Dutch city of Rotterdam. It won the council elections of March 2002 due to the charismatic leadership of Pim Fortuyn. This made it the city's largest political party, a position held for 30 years by PvdA...
) and Joost Eerdmans
Joost Eerdmans
Bernard Johannes Eerdmans is a politician in the Netherlands, and member of the Eén NL party.-Personal life:Eerdmans studied Management Science at the Erasmus Universiteit in Rotterdam...
(of the LPF). But Wilders did not want to cooperate, the Dutch right splintered, and Spruyt decided to end his brief political career after six months. Spruyt has since criticized Wilders for being too radical.
Policy entrepreneur and freelance journalist
After leaving politics, Spruyt entered a life as an independent consultant, journalist, teacher, writer and speaker. Spruyt continues to contribute widely to Dutch magazines and newspapers on a broad array of topics. In April 2006 Spruyt delivered the second Roosevelt Study Centre Lecture in Transatlantic Relations in MiddelburgMiddelburg
Middelburg is a municipality and a city in the south-western Netherlands and the capital of the province of Zeeland. It is situated in the Midden-Zeeland region. It has a population of about 48,000.- History of Middelburg :...
on the topic "The Defence of the West: Neoconservatism and the continuing need for new Churchills." He blogs at Bart J. Spruyt Blog. He regularly writes for such publications as HP De Tijd and Binnenlands Bestuur. In 2008, he was named the successor of Pim Fortuyn as the columnist for a prominent Dutch weekly news magazine, Elsevier
Elsevier (magazine)
Elsevier is a Dutch weekly magazine with a circulation of over 140,000 copies. Its chief editor is Arendo Joustra. It is conventionally considered to be one of the four most influential written media in its sector, along with De Groene Amsterdammer, Vrij Nederland and HP/De Tijd-History:The...
. He continues to be chairman of the Edmund Burke Stichting
Edmund Burke Stichting
The Edmund Burke Foundation is a conservative group based in The Hague, the Netherlands. Named after the 18th century conservative philosopher Edmund Burke, the Edmund Burke Foundation was founded in 2000 by a group of young conservatives, including professor Andreas Kinneging and journalist Bart...
.