Scouse republic

Liverpool is undoubtedly a unique city within the United Kingdom; its dialect, hedonism, friendliness, rejection of ‘Englishness’ and, most pertinently, its politics, all make for a rich cultural landscape. Yet, many of the things that make Liverpool the city it is today were not always at the fore. Furthermore, the complexity of the city, and an investigation into all aspects of its past, has not been readily available – until now. In this book, David Swift expertly tracks the city’s transformation from a humble village to a central component of the transatlantic slave trade and one of the most important ports in the world; from a stronghold of working-class Toryism to a bastion of left-wing politics, and how the two manifest today. Swift interrogates the myths surrounding the city, offering a fully rounded perspective that considers both Liverpool’s triumphs and tragedies.