Amidst wavering support for Prime Minister, and just ahead of a crucial vote of confidence, Edouard Philippe has seemingly distanced himself from recent statements made by François Bayrou. Philippe’s remarks came during a Horizons congress, where he addressed concerns about generational divides.

Bayrou, referring to the “comfort” of “boomers,” had suggested that young people are the primary victims of debt. However, the president of Horizons rejected this framing, refusing to participate in what he termed an “ages struggle.”

No “Class Struggle”, Nor “Ages”

Speaking at the young horizons congress in Sucy-en-Brie in Val-de-Marne, Edouard Philippe acknowledged concerns that France might be “an overly limited or too uncomfortable place for its youth.” However, he stated, “I do not at all believe that we can do anything big in France by segmenting or antagonizing part of the population. For my part, I never joined the class struggle. I no longer adhere to the age struggle.”

He further elaborated,”I do not accuse the boomers of selfishness” while these “constitute the first generation which,coming to retirement,must often take care of the situation […] of their parents.” Philippe urged against engaging in an “age quarrel,” advocating for collaborative solutions to improve France for all its citizens. “So let’s not get into a kind of age quarrel and think about what we can do so that France works better rather than what we can say, so that this or that category of French has objective reasons to turn against such or such other category of French. It doesn’t work like that. This is not how it would take a nation,we certainly know it well.”

Go Beyond the “Red Line Spirit”

To stabilize the political landscape, the president of Horizons emphasized the need for open dialog between parties, moving beyond a “spirit of red line” to one of “discussion.” He added, “As for the decisions that will allow France to go much better, they are a essential public debate. They are a presidential election,they are a majority that will allow them to be implemented. And today they are unattainable.”

“I do not at all believe that we can do anything big in France by segmenting or antagonizing part of the population.”

The young horizons event gathered approximately 700 attendees and is set to release its proposals soon. Marine Cazard, the president, highlighted the struggles faced by young people, stating, “young people who are tired in our society”. “We are asked to be a powerful nation but 20 % of young people live below the poverty line.We are asked to demographically rearm France, but there is no place in a crèche. We are asked to secure the future but we do not access property. We are asked to work more but the work does not pay,” she saeid.