French politics Getting their way

The mob wins and the politicians lose. That is the simplest reading of Jacques Chirac’s decision not to put the controversial CPE employment reform into force. Instead, the French president wants a new feebler contract for young workers to be drawn up, taking into account the objections millions of demonstrators. Chirac did not rise to the challenge offered by Dominique de Villepin. The prime minister wanted his president to respond to the forces of disorder with some political leadership. But ...