The protesters claimed the revolutionary mantle of 1968, defying the
government and symbolically occupying the Sorbonne. President Chirac,
rightly described by Jon Henley as having achieved nothing of substance during his long tenure in
office, stood firm to his principles: when the going gets tough, cut
and run to save your skin. Yesterday’s climbdown by
Chirac’s prime minister, Dominique de Villepin, was therefore entirely
predictable. The only surprise is that Chirac endured two months of
plummeting poll ratings before finally buckling to demands from
students and trade unions that a new youth employment law be withdrawn.