For a few heady weeks, the unrest in France was the left-liberal commentariat’s favourite kind of story. Here, apparently, were idealistic teenagers rising up like in 1968 – though this time against crumbling classrooms and the cost of living. Then the town hall in Limoges went up in flames on 17 October, the looting began in earnest, and the riots spread to other European cities.
The French elites fear the voters far more than the rioters
