There aer no longer warnings about axing due to non-participation because it's in the rules now and is information always available to people. Before then, people were warned.
What's the point though if the only reason they're participating is to not get banned? Don't participate, you go bye-bye. Don't read the rules, you don't know it. Glad to see you're now a participating member though
As for more bannings now than before? No, I don't think so. The reason you can see a banned person's posts though is because - in most cases, but not all - they remain after they are banned.