Briefing Paper 650 – The Shallow State by Mike Pothier
The notion of the deep state has become common in recent decades. It refers to the existence, real or imagined, of an unelected and permanent coterie of state officials, often including members of the security services, who conspire to run a country independently of, and even contrary to, the intentions of the duly elected governing authority. Although elements of the deep state no doubt exist in many places, its myth also functions as a useful excuse for politicians who lose elections or who fail to carry out their policy agendas.