Letter: Parliament needs business people

Sir: There is of course a third way of looking at Steven Norris's appointment as head of the lorry-owners' trade association (leader, 18 November).

Before entering Parliament, Mr Norris was a successful businessman working within the transport sector.

On leaving Parliament he is to return to that world. In the interim he brought considerable expertise and understanding to a key brief, that of transport minister with responsibility for London, and at a fraction of the salary he would have earned outside.

To describe such a career path as "irresponsible" sends a clear message to the few business people of real talent to enter politics. If you have an area of real understanding, make sure you do not accept a ministerial post through which you could make that understanding available for the benefit of the country.

You will be vilified for, and maybe even prevented from, returning to that field after your years of public service.

The scandal is not what Mr Norris does next; it is that our political system could not keep the likes of him, Tim Eggar and others, in government. Attitudes such as yours can only underline the question that many of true talent must ask themselves when considering entering, or remaining in, politics: why bother?

MALCOLM C GRIMSTON

London SW17