I think it's far more nuanced than "people poorer, people choose extreme parties". As I said most statistics show things are getting back to 2007 levels, albeit far more slowly than most would like.
I agree with you by the way, but disagree with the reason. You blame austerity, I blame successive governments of all three colours who've implemented tax and spend policies and then do what people do with heaps of cash that isn't theirs: squander it.
You look at every department and every single one claims to be underfunded. The NHS, Education, Military, local government, Police, Welfare, Pensions... However at the same time we're still spending more than the record tax level both as a % and as a number in modern times.
That's a clear oxymoron. We can't be hugely overspending on a record tax take, whilst also underfunding every single department via "austerity". Austerity would have the country paying off the national debt at a 10 or 11 figure level per annum, not adding to it at that rate. If you get a pay rise and at the same time cut your expenditure... You don't end up with less money, that's physically impossible.
The problem is a circular one. Government waste money because there's no incentive to use it effectively. Government runs out of money so increases tax. Government waste tax because see sentence two. Government increases tax. This is literally the reason for laws against monopolies... What do you think would happen if only Amazon were legally allowed to sell things to the public?
They'll be increasing unrest as this model isn't sustainable. The pension for young people today isn't sustainable, the health deficit for people today isn't sustainable, the welfare deficit isn't sustainable, the care deficit isn't sustainable.
The fact that my current tax is being used to pay for a 70 years old's pension is literally legalised theft. My tax should be ring fenced for when my generation is 70, just like my grandparents should have been ring fenced for theirs. Do you know what the term is for that in the private sector? A ponzi scheme! It's the biggest legalised ponzi scheme known to man and just like with Madoff... The scheme can only crumble.