Trots?

A spectre would seem to be haunting the British government. People have the cheek to object to being paid nothing to work for Tescos – they are all “Trots”. Teachers and parents object to school privatisation. They are all “Trots” too. And as for Andrew Lansley's NHS privatisation – the “Trots” would seem to include all the professional bodies representing health professionals, patients groups and the trade unions inside and outside the Health Service. Whoever these “Trots” are they do seem remarkably powerful. How come nobody has ever heard of them? If you want to know what “Trots” believe then this little book

will tell you. It is based on an historical public domain document drafted by Trotsky in 1938 yet when you read through it there are surprising echoes of the present day.

“Mankind's productive forces stagnate. Already new inventions and improvements fail to raise the level of material wealth. Conjunctural crises under the conditions of the social crisis of the whole capitalist system inflict ever-heavier deprivations and sufferings upon the general population . Growing unemployment, in its turn, deepens the financial crisis of the state and undermines the unstable monetary systems. Democratic regimes, as well as fascist, stagger on from one bankruptcy to another.”

If we take it as read there are no Fascist regimes nowadays – just an overweight BNP clown in the European parliament sitting on his expenses – the rest of this is very familiar. The people of Greece are expected to put up with cuts in wages and pensions while the bankers live the life of Riley. Millions of the 99 percent feel indignation about this.

And the transitional program has practical advice on how to turn this indignation into action and make the bosses pay for their crisis.

Derek McMillan

March 2012

It is quite easy to publish to Kindle and it is a very cheap way of getting yourself a copy of the Transitional Program without an introduction by Cliff Slaughter.

You have to put up with (or skip) my introduction and it does look as though the Transitional Program was a join work between me and Trotsky :)

Still this is a way to make the text available on kindle. Click here