By Clare Murphy BBC News Online, Paris

If one good thing has emerged from the presidential chaos of the last two weeks, many French pundits argue, it is the politicisation of a formerly apathetic French youth.

Many of the one million people who took to the streets of France last week to denounce the success of far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen were young people. For many, it was their first ever demonstration.

To test out this newly politicised youth, I decided to spend some time at the Sorbonne University in Paris, which has in its time been a centre of radical student activity.

"I don't think you're really talking to the right people - we don't really count as young," said Leah Ferreri, a law student, strolling arm-in-arm with her friend Celine Ogee through the leafy tranquillity of the Place de la Sorbonne.

Leah and Celine said the election had not changed them

"I'm already 23."

"Of course there are people who have been very active in the last couple of weeks," said Celine, who is also studying law. "But on the whole they're those people who were political to start with - mainly the students who belong to the youth sections of the leftist parties."

"I'm not apolitical, and I did vote. But I don't see politics as something that plays a particularly important role in my life - the elections haven't changed that."

Others were more blunt.

"I'm not interested in politics," said economics student Antonio Tritta. "I didn't take part in the protests against Le Pen - I couldn't have anyway because I had too much work to do."

Fellow student Arthur Saunier was a victim of the same plight. And their friends?

"No one I know really cares that much," he said.

'Not enough'

Abstention rates in the first round of the presidential elections were a record high in France - a country which has a history of strong political engagement.

They remained relatively high in the second, despite the vast campaign launched by both the media and the political classes to urge the French electorate to cast their ballot.

"The fact is that what's on offer doesn't inspire people that much," said Caroline Mazens, a history student. "And if students are going to get political they need something to believe in, something to get excited about. It's up to the politicians to come up with something."

"Whatever that is, it's going to take more than a few anti-Le Pen protests," said her boyfriend Adrien Minard, who took part in the May Day rallies.

'What's on offer doesn't inspire people that much"

"It was great to have a show against fascism and racism, and it was important that they happened, but it's not enough in itself."

David Langlois Mallet, who runs a political website, Le Maquis, insists however that the movement which sprung up against Mr Le Pen will not be left floundering by the landslide defeat of its target by the conservative President, Jacques Chirac.

"It's true that it's easy to simply be against something, and fascism and Le Pen are in lots of ways quite simple targets. But we've started something here - and I'm really hoping that the ideas can become something more sophisticated."

"France needs real debate, and the politicians need to find new ways of engaging people in the political process - it would be great if that was the net result of a pretty disastrous set of presidential elections."