We live in a time when conspiracy theories abound. Two words often used in these narratives are the 'deep state', a powerful, unelected and unaccountable group of government officials. But unlike many conspiracies, it is widely acknowledged that it does exist. What varies is whether it is considered to exist for the good of a country, or for ill.
Definitions of the term vary. It can mean anything from officious, controlling civil servants such as those portrayed in the ever relevant British comedy 'Yes Minister', to sinister networks controlling governments against the wishes of the people.
The secretive nature of the latter means that an ordinary person cannot know the extent to which they exist in real life or just in the imagination of conspiracy theorists.
In the US there is about to be a president who believes that the bureaucracy seeks to work against him, and that it should go. Donald Trump has said that he plans to "dismantle the deep state and reclaim our democracy from Washington corruption" using a series of measures that will allow him to fire civil servants and supposedly improve accountability of intelligence services.
"Faceless bureaucrats will never again be able to persecute conservatives, Christians or the left's political enemies," he said.
Although he didn't give examples, he is perhaps referring to incidents such as the revelations that the FBI has been categorising traditionalist Catholic Americans as potential domestic terrorists.
Switching sides, and from an anti-Trump perspective, then the 'deep state' is a positive means to prevent catastrophe. Historian Margaret O Mara, at least, agrees with the incoming president that it exists, however she believes that it is a good thing as it can keep an erring leader in check. She wrote an article for the New York Times in 2019 entitled: "The 'Deep State' Exists to Battle People Like Trump."
She continued: "Far from being a tool of political corruption, the Civil Service was created to be an antidote to the very kind of corruption and self-dealing that seems to plague this administration."
An article in The Atlantic argues that the 'deep state' prevented Trump from interfering in the Covid response in a way that would have been harmful.
Seen in this light, a strong, independent executive is a bulwark against extremist leaders who get elected by the populace. Given that many Americans do believe that Trump is such a leader, it is understandable that they would support those who work against his plans, even if they are not able to be held accountable by the electorate.
Yet Vice President-elect JD Vance makes the point that in order for democracy to function, i.e. for the people to have their will enacted, then the president must be held accountable by elected and visible actors rather than unseen bureaucrats.
"The president recognises that if you have people in your government who you tell do something and they disobey you, that's not like checks and balances," said Vance in a pre-election interview with Tucker Carlson.
"They're part of your government. The checks and balances are the house, the senate and the judiciary. If the people in your government aren't obeying you, you have to replace them."
He cites the example of public support for mass deportations, and predicts that the 'deep state' will oppose this and co-ordinate a press campaign against such actions, even though it is the will of the people and one of the reasons that Trump was elected.
Like so many political questions in this era of the 'culture wars', how you view the 'deep state' depends from which perspective you come from, and whether you perceive Trump and his policies positively or negatively.
Does the 'deep state' exist outside the US?
According to conservative journalist Rod Dreher, the 'deep state' was responsible for the recent pulling of the elections in Romania to prevent Georgescu gaining power. Former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss claimed the 'deep state' worked against her during her very brief period in power.
But in the UK, it has long been widely acknowledged that the civil service works against the wishes of elected politicians, mainly due to the popularity of the hilarious UK TV series "Yes, Minister". In this series, a hapless minister was regularly thwarted in his great plans for policy and promotion by the infamous civil servant Sir Humphrey Appleby. The character was played to perfection by the late Nigel Hawthorne, who portrayed a servile deference to the elected minister while always scheming for the best interests of the civil service itself, and usually the status quo.
Former Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher is reported to have loved the programme and said "its clearly-observed portrayal of what goes on in the corridors of power has given me hours of pure joy".
It's not just the Tory government who had this experience. According to politico Steve Hilton, former Prime Minister Tony Blair said of civil servants: "You cannot underestimate how much they believe it's their job to actually run the country and to resist the changes put forward by people they dismiss as 'here today, gone tomorrow' politicians. They genuinely see themselves as the true guardians of the national interest, and think that their job is simply to wear you down and wait you out."
So it is not in dispute that unelected powerful bureaucracies provide resistance to an elected politician. However perceptions seem to vary, depending on whether the person perceiving them agrees with their politics. Shouldn't it be important that the means by which power is checked are visible and accountable to the public?
At a time of rising division and a lack of understanding between political 'sides' of liberal and conservative, Republican and Democrat, the foundation upon which we run our countries is likely to face significant challenges. Could it be that these fundamental political differences and the 'culture wars' are the main reason to be concerned about our future, rather than the means by which they are acted out in government?
Heather Tomlinson is a freelance Christian writer. Find more of her work at https://heathertomlinson.substack.com or via X (Twitter) @heathertomli.
