Laurie Oakes laments that politics is getting a bit unsavoury.

"WINGNUTS are coming out of the woodwork," he opines.

What is the cause of his distress?

A few ratbag text messages and a threatening phone call from some unhinged nutter it seems. Does he really expect that renegade independent MPs who have openly flouted the wishes of their electorates, would not be on the receiving end of some odium?

(Not at all defending death threats here, by the way.)

Other than that he seems to have taken a dislike to people expressing their opinions on the internet. Of opting to take their information from "the information superhighway." Heaven forbid that citizens would no longer be limited to getting their opinions from the "doyens" of the press on the nightly news. Could it be that some of these pundits foresee a loss of influence?

Anyway what is new about people getting involved?
I don't see things going as far as Captain De Groot did when the New Guard attempted "to kidnap Jack Lang while he was being chauffeured home along the Parramatta Road from his Parliament House office at night."
That's real action Laurie.
Nor are we likely to witness the charged atmosphere and tumultuous crowds evident during the conscription rows of WW1.

Today, people are getting involved and a good thing too. So far it is all pretty well behaved.
Out with the complacency. Out with the "cop it on the chin" attitude. Out with the "she'll be right."
Laurie and his fellow mainstream commentators have let us down. They have failed in their jobs. People have woken up, aided by the miracles of modern communications.

No more filtering of issues via the good offices of the press gallery.

Forward, not to the barricades, but to the keyboards!