Compare the far more limited role that the state plays today - particularly for those on average incomes and just above, who constitute the major parties' target voters. Such people's self-interest in taxation has declined exactly as the proportion of their income that they pay in tax has increased. But the sociological changes go further than this. As earnings have risen, private consumption has come to play a much larger role in people's lives. Consumer choices have become more important in shaping identities and lifestyles.
Much more emphasis is given to customer service and convenience.
Product standards have almost universally risen. Consumer expectations have followed suit. The public sector has struggled to catch up. It is not, in fact, true that public sector services are worse than they used to be. For most of the past two decades, public spending has risen more slowly than average private earnings.