It's a sign of the times- combination of more immediate data, social media and media frenzy for stories, more awareness that governments will feel pressured into (maybe false)claims that measures discriminate against BAME and poorer students, more willingness to claim/admit to mental health issues from such 'traumas', more use of hyperbole ("teachers ignored", " children's futures ruined") and general opportunism of those with time on their hands to pick holes.
30 years ago I think the algorithm approach, coupled with an appeals procedure to clear up the small number of anomalies (which of course should have been queried and followed up by OFQUAL this year) would have been regarded as a great, clever solution which was fair to this year's students and past/future students by preventing excessive grade inflation.