Another politician has just stumbled upon the revolving doors that connect politics and business.

The resignation of former Minister of Consumer Affairs Alberto Garzón to join the public affairs consultancy Acento has reopened this week the debate on the fate that awaits the political class, particularly senior officials, when they leave public service and go to business. private.

Garzón is an economist, he is 38 years old. Between 2016 and 2023 he was federal coordinator of Izquierda Unida and deputy, and in his case it was the pressure from his political environment that made him resign from a position in the lobby promoted by the former socialist minister José Blanco. He did it, he said, so as not to harm his political space. But he asked the left to reflect on how it treats the men and women who dedicate their time and energy to collective projects. “Politics is a crusher of people,” he lamented.

Alberto Garzón is not wrong. In Spain, politics is a generally poorly paid activity, even more so when compared to surrounding countries, and is subject to intense scrutiny, especially on social networks. It would not be correct to speak of heroism, but it is logical that many professionals who make a good living in the private sector think twice before accepting a position. Especially if returning to the private sphere is so complicated. Although that does not justify crossing red lines in the transition from politics to business, or vice versa.

“Politics is very bloody. We should make it an activity like another, less demanding, because in the end only the kamikazes go there, those who are willing to survive the crusher,” emphasizes Oriol Bartomeus, professor of Political Science at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB). That aspect, he adds, is fundamental to understanding why there are not more women in politics. “And social media has exacerbated the problem. Only those who have elephant skin can withstand the possibility of being insulted morning, noon and night,” he emphasizes.

None of this is new. That is why Bartomeus is surprised that Garzón, with so many years in politics, now discovers how cruel he is. And he agrees with the former minister that the left’s judgment is stricter. “When you yourself set the moral standards very high, which I think is very good, then you can’t skip them without consequences,” he warns.

Fernando Vallespín, professor of Political Science at the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM), also agrees that “the right has more leeway than the left” in judging possible incompatibilities. But he warns about the risk of removing incentives from the exercise of politics. “When you are appointed to a position it means that you are an expert in that field. If you then have to spend a certain amount of time without being able to return, I don’t know if it’s fair. The politician must be given prestige. He has the right to survive and with dignity. But there must be limits,” he points out.

In Spain there is a Conflict of Interest Office that authorizes the transfer of former members of the General Administration to the private sector. Garzón had to request authorization. Former Secretary of State for Transport Isabel Pardo de Vera also did so to join the real estate association Asval. She was denied permission. This department, dependent on the Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Service, certifies whether there is any incompatibility between past and future relationships in the two years following the termination. Permit denials are rare.

And if the transition from politics to business is fluid, it is even better to move in the opposite direction. Because revolving doors also lead from business to politics. “There is a general idea that it is positive for good professionals to go into politics because it takes management out of the hands of politicians. But what about the number of people who come from private companies and enter governments, it is not clear with what agenda? It may end up favoring private interests. We focus on politicians, but not on the professionals who enter,” warns Bartomeus.

For Vallespín, it is positive that the public sector can attract talent from private companies. “And if you do it well, you have a double reward, that of public opinion and that which the market can offer you later,” he points out. And where the norm does not reach, the parties have to do it, with an ethical code that imposes restrictions, he points out.

Garzón wanted to sign with a lobbying company, like ministers, secretaries of state or deputies in recent years. “The people who have been public officials are very valuable professionals who have served the State, have experience and add value to this work of influence,” they explain from a large firm.

The problem in Spain is that there is no lobbying law that regulates relations between pressure groups and politicians. The commitment of the Minister of Public Service, José Luis Escrivá, is to approve it. In the last legislature, a draft law was prepared, which declined when the general elections were brought forward.