Leon Trotsky - To the students of Edinburgh University

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Markin comment:

While from the tenor of the articles, leftist authors featured, and other items it is not clear to me that this blog is faithful to any sense of historical materialism that Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Vladimir Lenin or Leon Trotsky would recognize I am always more than willing to "steal" material from the site. Or investigate leads provided there for material of interest to the radical public-whatever that seemingly dwindling public may be these days.

Additional Markin comment:

I place some material in this space which may be of interest to the radical public that I do not necessarily agree with or support. Off hand, as I have mentioned before, I think it would be easier, infinitely easier, to fight for the socialist revolution straight up than some of the“remedies” provided by the commentators in these entries. But part of that struggle for the socialist revolution is to sort out the “real” stuff from the fluff as we struggle for that more just world that animates our efforts.

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Saturday, November 02, 2013

  Leon Trotsky - To the students of Edinburgh University

Dear Sirs,

I am indebted to you for your so unexpected and flattering proposal, to put me up as candidate for the rectorate of your university... The elections to the rectorate, you write, are conducted on a non-political basis and your letter itself is signed by representatives of every political tendency. But I myself occupy too definite a political position; all my activity has been and remains devoted to the revolutionary liberation of the proletariat from the yoke of capital... I would ... consider it a crime toward the working class and a disloyalty toward you to appear on no matter what public tribune not under the Bolshevik banner. You will find, I have no doubt, a candidate much more in conformity with the traditions of your university...

Leon Trotsky, 'To the Students of Edinburgh University' (7 June 1935) in Writings of Leon Trotsky, 1934-35, pp. 401-402, quoted in Gramsci and Trotsky in the Shadow of Stalinism by Emanuele Saccarelli.