# the Blob (UK) "The Blob" is a pejorative term in UK political discourse referring to the permanent civil service, the public sector establishment, and the surrounding ecosystem of experts, unions, and quangos (quasi-autonomous non-governmental organizations). The central claim is that this amorphous, interconnected mass operates as a blockage to reform, frustrating the will of elected ministers through inertia, groupthink, and procedural delay. In the US, the term _"[[Deep State]]"_ is used similarly, and "Administrative state" is also often used interchangeably in some academic and policy circles. The term references the 1958 sci-fi horror film _The Blob_, featuring an amoeba-like alien entity that grows larger as it consumes everything in its path. [[Michael Gove]] popularized the term in British politics around 2013 while serving as Education Secretary. He used it to describe the "educational establishment" (teacher unions, university education departments, local authorities) that he believed was blocking his school reforms. Over time, the term expanded beyond education to encompass Whitehall and the broader administrative state. ## Entries **[[2026-01-05]]**: The July 2025 [[Civic Future]] panel "[Start-Up Cultures: More DOGE, less Blob?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujGrbCquCaE)" explicitly engaged with this concept. The framing noted that concerns about "The Blob" were once dismissed as a right-wing talking point but are now acknowledged across left and right as describing a real phenomenon: an overgrown, risk-averse state that delays projects, stifles innovation, and resists reform.