David Swift

SCOUSE REPUBLIC out now

Writing @newstatesman @unherd @spectator @tribunemagazine @independent @thetimes

[David Swift @davidswift87]

With Christmas approaching, if you're wondering what to buy the history/Liverpool lover in your life – look no further than SCOUSE REPUBLIC, the definitive account of the city's rise, fall and resurgence.

[MENA Visuals @menavisualss]

🇹🇷🇪🇹 The king of Abyssinia faces the Ottoman sultan in a Japanese depiction of the Ottoman-Ethiopian War (1557-1589) based off Portuguese descriptions to a Momoyama period Nanban painter.

[Siobhan Corbey Tobin @_SiobhanCT]

Have reviewed Half Man Half Biscuit’s album All Asimov and No Fresh Air for this week’s newsletter from @FutureLeft1.

Give it a read!

[David Swift @davidswift87]

@JonnElledge just saw you looking lost on St Paul's road. Surely you know every street and back alley in Islington?

[Bonnie Greer @Bonn1eGreer]

I'd say that in the UK, #Manchester is probably considered the nation's #SecondCity.

But outside of the UK:

It's #Liverpool!!

"Resurrexit Sicut Dixit"...to all Believers...who live it and extend their joy and peace and goodwill: To All!.

#Easter

#EasterWeekend2026

[UnHerd @unherd]

As today's strikes on Iran show, Netanyahu has found a willing ally in Trump who has supported the vast majority of Israel’s foreign policy.

But is he the last US President who will whole-heartedly support Tel Aviv? Read @davidswift87👇
https://t.co/hQexWP0uKm

[UnHerd @unherd]

‘This may be a sign of a last hurrah for the US-Israeli relationship.’

Netanyahu will sees Trump as perhaps the last US President that he could hold influence over, writes @davidswift87👇
https://t.co/hQexWP0uKm

[Carl 📷 @carl_thompson70]

Tobacco Warehouse
The largest brick warehouse in the world. Its construction in 1901 comprised of 27 million bricks.

A mighty building. Only by standing up close to it can you truly appreciate its grand scale.

A wonder of the world in my book.

Liverpool

[The Anfield Wrap @TheAnfieldWrap]

🗣️ David Swift | The Shoot Treatment

Martin Fitzgerald takes a classic player profile from Shoot Magazine and poses the questions to a @davidswift87

1️⃣ Download our App
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📲 https://t.co/eNpQIJSgGi

[Restoration @leftrestoration]

Vote RESTORATION
#makelabourworkingclassagain

https://t.co/8myBlGahab

Labour has lost its way.

Vote our slate for Labour NEC and elect railway men, steel workers, care workers, telesales professionals.

Every one committed to re-establishing Labour as a working class party
🧵

[Emma @scousepie]

might it be because 90s comedians keep getting deals to publish books about people called Whilemina McFartgobble

[David Swift @davidswift87]

You wonder why Russia goes to such elaborate lengths to import and spike someone with a rare toxin when it would make no difference if they just shot him in the back of the head

[David Swift @davidswift87]

@DanDePetris interesting that ICE is now deporting Palestinians from the US to the West Bank, which previous US presidents have been reluctant to do due to Israeli opposition, but Trump's doing it anyway...

[UnHerd @unherd]

‘History has shown that the regime battens down the hatches and unifies internally when its back is against the wall.’

Has Trump’s aggressive approach to Iran strengthened the Ayatollah’s position? Read @DanDePetris 👇
https://t.co/PLQcRhgKRK

[Despotic Inroad @DespoticInroad]

It was a mistake to link McSweeney to the Blue Labour project, IMV. He was clearly interested in it as a vibes-building tactic, but it was skin-deep and unconvincing. BL will inevitably get it in the neck from the soft Left in the upcoming "Battle for the Soul" of the Labour Party no. 97545. But it was always clear, not least from his appointments, that MM was more New than Blue – and those two tendencies are NOT compatible.

BL is a critique of a 40/50yr cross-party consensus on globalisation, deindustrialisation, economic liberalism, and the unaccountable power of the bureaucratic state. It's a critique of the shift in the focus of Left politics from class, nation & collectivity, towards individual identity, grievance & wooly metropolitan progressivism.

Adopting a genuine BL approach implies a radical rupture that we just didn't see (despite sporadic, superficial overtures to BL "values", no doubt).

KS/MM:
👉spoke about "securonomics"/rebuilding a national economy, BUT begged for international trade deals/FDI from the US
👉spoke about a "manufacturing renaissance" BUT sat back to watch our sovereign productive capabilities disappear in Grangemouth, Port Talbot, Vauxhall Luton, thousands of O&G jobs, and many others besides
👉spoke about a "1945 moment" BUT gave a timid response to the protectionist turn in the US/EU: a REAL opportunity for a fundamental reset
👉spoke about "broken levers" BUT strengthened the OBR & establish 70+ commissions, reviews, committees, inquiries, boards etc etc. to draft policy
👉spoke about "stopping the boats" + "smash the gangs" but couldn't do it. Don't we have a Navy anymore?
👉spoke about "national resilience" but wouldn't confront foreign ownership of essential utilities/infrastructure
👉spoke about "taking on Whitehall" BUT appointed international legalists like Lord Hermer as AG. Wormald as CabSec. People who are allergic to restoring active, agile state capacities/effective executive authority, repulsed by the realities of an era of hard power & the need to assert national interests at speed
👉spoke about a gov. for "working people" BUT abandoned plans for sectoral collective bargaining

Most importantly, the idea that a BL kind of politics could be articulated successfully BY KEIR STARMER is insane.

[Josh Jeffery @JeffCarnage]

The Telegraph just ranked Liverpool as the best city to visit in the U.K. (Edinburgh was 2nd, Belfast 3rd).

A hugely underrated city.

[David Swift @davidswift87]

What would Louis Theroux look like if his 'weird weekends' involved several bottles of Buckfast

[David Swift @davidswift87]

@hassinator Dunno about 'fine'

[David Swift @davidswift87]

@HarryYorke1 'However, this weekend, few appear to be in the mood for introspection; navel-gazing remains the order of the day' - they are the same things? Navel-gazing is a synonym of introspection

[David Swift @davidswift87]

@albieamankona @ShabanaMahmood @pritipatel @SuellaBraverman Presumably whichever one is Hammed Animashaun will be doing that. Maybe Emma Sidi as well?

[Mick Ord @Mickordmedia]

Andy McCluskey, Mick Head, Jayne Casey, Bery Marsden, Nasher, Mike McCartney, Zoe Howe & many more have all been guests on the #MisadventuresinMusic podcast with ⁦@IanProwse⁩ & ⁦@Mickordmedia⁩ ….available wherever you listen to podcasts.

Enjoy.