We do need to do something in reasoned, thoughtful and quiet ways but this confected hysteria of the government has a ring of recall.

Remember when Little John needed to get re-elected at the end of his first term? Along came Tampa and with a little twisting of the facts, the creation of a curtain of lies and a compliant major press he managed to whip up the sort of plebeian anxiety that saw him re-elected.

We are still paying the price of that short-term election strategy. The biggest error at the time was that the then leader of the Opposition Big Kim was gutless and went along with the rubbish so we’ve now had 15 years of both major parties trying to wriggle around with competing versions of nasty inhuman policies.

To ramp up the whole deal, this time we are going to make citizen stripping and banishment mandatory and even retrospective for suspected terrorist activities.

Let’s hope they don’t make it too retrospective; if we ever get an Aboriginal Prime Minister many of us might find ourselves banished through family shadows of terrorist activities committed in “settling” this land.

Now two other dominoes have fallen into place for the government croupiers: the $80m purpose built Royal Commission into Unions has finally caught Silly Billy with his pants half down and no budgie smugglers in sight and the ABC has become a “megaphone for terrorists”.

The government message to the ABC is now pretty clear: “Listen here Auntie, we are incensed by your treasonous lefty latte swilling attitudes of trying to see all sides of a story; don’t dare criticise our policies in future, no matter how Neanderthal your smart-alecky commentators think them or we will cut off your water at the first opportunity”.

So folks, are we up for an early anxiety-based khaki style election, hairy chests out front, Silly Billy struggling, the ABC neutered, the corporate press rampant and fear in the suburbs? Be afraid. Be very afraid.

- Fred Goldsworthy