The summer of 2009 marked the time when the war in Afghanistan came back to haunt the British government.
There can be no guarantee as to which forces will win out in Tehran. But those on the left who were hostile to the huge protests are in danger of lining up with those who want to crush the movement.
When thousands of women workers went on strike on International Women's Day in Petrograd, Russia, in 1917 they had ignored advice from Bolshevik party leaders to "keep cool".
Beware talk of "green shoots" in the economy. Even if they prove to be real, job losses will continue to rise for some time to come.
The irrationality of capitalism was starkly exposed in April when, despite massively increasing its profits for the first three months of the year, the manufacturing company Vestas announced that it was to shed 1,900 jobs.
In education, young people from working class backgrounds are struggling with overcrowded classrooms, poor resources and overstretched teachers.
Labour voters stayed home in droves in June's European elections. They simply didn't have a credible alternative to get them to the polling station. This tells us that millions of working class people need an organisation which will stand up for them.
If nothing else, Labour is unlikely to suffer embarrassment from dodgy donations this year.
Attacks on Roma families have shocked many, argues Goretti Horgan. But politicians must shoulder much of the blame.
The economic and political crises have undermined the legitimacy of mainstream politics, argues Alex Callinicos. As Labour's support crashes can the left offer answers?
Iranians have taken to the streets as the divisions in the ruling class have sharpened into open conflict, writes Peyman Jafari.
