I think there was a bit of a sense of hitting out at the government just because it felt good to do so.
But presumably with the assumption that whatever the outcome, the government wouldn't change anything?
What would be the point in "hitting out" at the government to change things in a way you don't really want them to be changed?
"Let's pretend I'm mad about this thing that I'm not, and you pretend to change it, but don't".