Hmmm, it is a point of view but I see one major problem. If you look the Register mainpage I linked you will see several reports of these hackers being arrested?

If this is true, then they don't seen much like subversives or government stoolies. They just seem bloody incompetent to me for getting caught so easily.

I don't know what the general feeling would be in your part of the World, but over here the public might well be expected to take the view that the authorities are catching them easily enough so just increase the penalties to deter them more?

If I were running this project on behalf of a government, I can assure you my people wouldn't get caught and I wouldn't pick on silly targets. It would be public utilities, transport, healthcare, education, welfare benefits. Now that would really piss off a lot of voters and get support for new legislation (as opposed to just beefing up penalties).

Whilst the targets to date have been high profile, they are more likely to be looked on as mildly amusing pranks rather than anything insidious or subversive.