the principal principle

We are having a lot of issues thrown at us lately concerning matters of principle and a good deal of community tension. Whether it be Industrial Relations, Issues of National Security, or one that affects me at the moment...codes of professional conduct.
They all have similarities.
Not the least of which is the argument...current circumstances require stern measures.
This often seems to mean: cast your hard-won principles to one side it is time to be realistic!
And "being realistic" often means what one local Adelaide journo used to describe as "Shut up and eat your muesli!"
This seems to me a dangerous practice. Should we cast aside principle in favoiur of dubious pragmatism.
One problem with this is that often what we are doing is appeasing the crowd, or the media.
That is, we need to be seen to be doing something!!
Terrorists blow us up, therefore we need to be seen to be getting tough, so let's pass draconian laws so people will be in no doubt.
Some clergy molest children, so let's impose wordy codes of conduct as asign of our willingness to change.
We could benefit from industrial flexibility so deregulate everything.
The time frame is always too short to fully consider these things, and the consequences can never be fully envisaged.
We should not stand still but as the Germans say Eile mit Weile...hurry carefully, or perhaps "more haste, less speed ". And be cautious before we jettison principles