Another politician has just tripped over the revolving doors that connect politics and business.
The resignation of the former minister of consumption Alberto Garzón to be signed by the public affairs consultancy Acento has reopened this week the debate about the fate that awaits the political class, in particular high officials, when they leave the public service and they go to private enterprise.
Garzón is an economist, 38 years old. Between 2016 and 2023 he was federal coordinator of Esquerra Unida and deputy, and in his case it was the pressure of his political environment that made him resign from a position in the lobby promoted by the former socialist minister José white He did it, he said, so as not to damage his political space. But he called for reflection on the left about how it treats men and women who devote their time and energy to collective projects. “Politics is a crusher of people”, he lamented.
Alberto Garzón did not go astray. In Spain, politics is generally a poorly paid activity, even more so when compared to neighboring countries, and 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 it becomes so complicated to return to the private sphere. Although this 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 any other, less demanding, because in the end only the kamikazes go there, those who are willing to survive the shredder”, emphasizes Oriol Bartomeus, professor of Political Science at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB ). This aspect, he adds, is fundamental to understanding why there are not more women in politics. “And social networks have exacerbated the problem. Only those with the skin of an elephant can stand the possibility of being insulted morning, afternoon and night”, he underlines.
None of this is new. That’s 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 judgment of the left is stricter. “When you yourself set very high moral standards, 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 a wider sleeve than the left” when it comes to judging possible incompatibilities. But he warns about the risk of removing incentives for the exercise of politics. “When you are appointed to a position, it means that you are an expert in this area. If you then have to stay for a certain amount of time without being able to return to your job, I don’t know if it’s fair. The politician must be respected. 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 there. The former Secretary of State for Transport, Isabel Pardo de Vera, also did it, to join the real estate company Asval. He was denied permission. This department, dependent on the Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Service, certifies if there is any incompatibility between the past and future relationship in the two years following termination. Not many permissions are denied.
And if the passage from politics to the company is fluid, it circulates even better in the opposite direction. Because the revolving doors also lead from business to politics. “There is a general idea that it is positive that good professionals 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 put the focus on the politicians, but not on the professionals who enter”, advises Bartomeus.
For Vallespín, it is positive that the public sector can attract talent from private companies. “And if he does it well, he has a double reward, that of public opinion and what the market can offer him afterwards”, he points out. And where the rule does not come, the parties must do it, with an ethical code that imposes restrictions, he points out.
Garzón wanted to sign for a lobbying company, just as other ministers, secretaries of state or deputies have done in recent years. “The people who have held public positions are very valuable professionals who have served the State, have experience and bring value to this task 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. During the last legislature, a draft law was prepared, which lapsed when the general elections were brought forward.
