Democracy works beautifully in textbooks. In practice, it works rather differently. This book is about the difference – and why government keeps growing, no matter who you elect. Told through sharp analysis and satire, the book cuts through 20 major industries to show how legal and political power really works – quietly and far from election day, with pace, clarity, and humour. George Orwell meets Yes, Minister, with the institutional realism of Robert Dahl – a meticulously researched and very funny journey through industries, professions, and institutions, showing how democracy is outcompeted in the long stretches between elections. When laws and public grants multiply unchecked and careers depend more on knowing How to Lobby Like Crazy than on voters, democratic choice gives way to legal and institutional self-preservation. Nothing illegal happens. Nothing dramatic breaks. Power drifts – away from elections and towards those who manage the rules. A highly entertaining playbook for understanding how major industries turn law into income – revealing how insiders in NGOs, business, academia, law, regulation, and public institutions profit from legal complexity across Europe, the US, and worldwide. The book unpacks the lobbying strategies and proven industry toolkits that show how laws create lifetime careers, committees become livelihoods, and political influence becomes income – legally and beyond public scrutiny. Clear-eyed and darkly funny, it reveals not the failure of democracy, but its quiet displacement – as power shifts from voters to those who master the rules. And shows how you can too. ★ Who Will Love This Book ★ Anyone who has ever thought: “Wait… they get paid for that?” – and wondered what that means for government accountability and the future of democracy. ★ Praise for The Deep State Wants a Hug ★ “This book made me realise I’ve been wasting my ethics.”  – Former NGO Director “This book is timeless. I laughed, I lobbied, I invoiced.”  – Multi-Year Government Grant Recipient “I’m 21, scared of the future, and didn’t really know what lobbying was. After reading this book, I know it’s easier than passing maths.”  – Student, Undecided Major “I joined a climate storytelling circle to meet people. Now I co-chair a $4.2 million narrative resilience consortium. This book wrecked my weekends – and boosted my net worth.”  – Aspiring Poet, Now Narrative Interface Lead “I used to fix boilers. Now I fix grant applications for a local energy resilience hub. The pressure’s lower, but the jargon’s hotter.”  – Former Plumber, Current Stakeholder Engagement Technician “I thought retirement meant gardening. Now I run a policy podcast, moderate five working groups, and just secured €30,000 to explore ‘intergenerational governance pathways’. Life begins at 67.”  – Strategic Pensioneer, Full-Time Policy Dabbler “I used to just tweet complaints at the President. Now I run a civic foresight hub and invoice the Foreign Ministry instead. This book is dangerous in the right hands.”  – Citizen-Turned-Lobbyist (and Local Legend)