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And there's your answer - you now can't kick the ball back to the keeper for him to pick up so the ball either gets dropped for an opponent to kick back to the keeper or, increasingly, it is just dropped straight to the keeper which has always been allowed but wasn't necessary before the "back...

It hasn't been, it is specifically in the laws that any player is allowed to contest it. "Any number of players may contest a dropped ball (including the goalkeepers); the referee cannot decide who may contest a dropped ball or its outcome."

It's always been allowed. And the idea of giving a penalty for handball against a goalkeeper in his own area is certainly...interesting!