Scouse Republic: An Alternative History of Liverpool

Liverpool's idiosyncrasies mean we need to explore its history to understand how it has become what it is now - for the story of Liverpool is key to understanding modern Britain: trade, racism, Empire, deindustrialisation, immigration, and popular culture have all left an important imprint. It is of the UK but its modern identity is defined in part in opposition to 'Britishness'.

This book will discuss the origins of Scouse separateness, the importance of football within the city, the unusual history of the Scouse accent, Liverpool's politics, culture, and rivalry with Manchester, the Liverpudlian diaspora, and the UK's love-hate relationship with the city. It will intersperse the story of the city with Swift's own story: relating what he learned about the city during the first 18 years of his life; what he subsequently learned about outsiders' views of Liverpool and its citizens in the 18 years since he left; and his impressions of how the city has changed whenever he returns.