After rows over cash-for-access or 'Drapergate' dominated the headlines over the summer the lobbying industry and its relations with government make an obvious choice.

Derek Draper: Found himself at the centre of a row

Despite all the claims, that former lobbyist Derek Draper, a one-time aide to Trade Minister Peter Mandelson, was able to introduce his business clients to powerful figures in government and counter claims that he did no such thing, the row over cash-for-access raises key questions over the relationship between the new Labour Government, the lobbying industry and business.

The Observer journalist, Gregory Palast who along with Anthony Barnett broke the Derek Draper story has very strong views on the subject.

He told BBC News Online that public concern over the lobbyists is a red herring. He said: "Its not the lobbyists I'm worried about it's the lobbied."

Martin Bell: Money should not change hands between MPs and business

His view is echoed by the independent MP for Tatton Martin Bell who told BBC News Online that he was keen to see and end to MPs taking on paid work as business consults.

Although he said lobbying was a right, he made it clear that as far as MPs and business were concerned: "No money should ever change hands."

'A government that likes to do deals'

Mr Palast said the best way the government can defend itself from accusations of sleaze he said is to simply "close the door" to lobbyists.

Quoting the lobbyist Ben Lucas he said: "This government likes to make deals. "That's the problem."

Neil Hamilton: The man at the centre of the cash-for-questions scandal

He said: "One of the grand fallacies of this government is that at least they are are not as bad as the Tories. You can't compare Neil Hamilton's shopping habits with the specials deals being worked out between government and business.

"We're not talking about people lining their pockets here, they are doing it for power."

The best control he said would be: "Exposure, open information, open government, and complete disclosure."

He suggested several possible options for the Neill Committee should it decide to regulate lobbying.

All meetings between government, lobbyists and their clients should be made a matter for the public record and the ministers' phone records should also be made public, he said.

'Greed gap'

Mr Pallast also made a case for what he called a "greed gap". In the same way that ministers are not able to leave office and immediately take up company directorships he suggested that political party aides like Mr Draper, should have "a period of repose" between leaving their party jobs and joining up with lobbyists.

He also called for: "A moral tone set by the leader of each party and certainly by the prime minister. If Blair is having meetings in his office with the head of multinational company like Rio Tinto what kind of signals does that send?"

Calls for tighter regulations of the lobbying industry have already been made by backbenchers.

And the prime minister himself said it was an area that should be looked at.

But the Secretary of the Association of Professional Political Consultants Charles Miller takes a slightly different view.

He told BBC News Online that the bottom line as far as he is concerned is human nature. That, he says, "is something you can't legislate for".

He says if party workers or aides join lobbying companies they are unlikely to lose contact with their old friends in the party.

He said this may mean that some people get jobs as lobbyists simply because "they've got a great address book".

But he believes that the whole cash-for-access row was overstated. Indeed Derek Drapper was described as a "rogue elephant" in a report into the scandal by the lobbyists' trade association.

Mr Miller added that: "If Parliament were to adopt a formal system of regulation most lobbyists would back it."

But as long as open government does not exist he said there will always be a need for lobbyists.