From our journalist in Bordeaux,
“I know that the evening was difficult for some but we will still have to speak up. » Tired faces, raspy voices and even a few hints of alcohol… The night was visibly agitated for some Young people with Macron, who gathered in dribbles, this Sunday morning, in front of the Bordeaux Exhibition Center. For this second day of the Renaissance party campus, the young activists are expected to bring some atmosphere to the sometimes sleepy bays of the presidential camp. But how do you recognize a real “JAM”, as they like to call themselves? We talk about it with Ambroise Méjean, president of the youth movement and Albane Branlant, one of the spokespersons.
They are fans of Macron
This is a truism: the Young People with Macron are – above all else – fervent supporters of the Head of State. And this, since their birth in 2015. No surprise, therefore, to see the face of Emmanuel Macron displayed large on their stand. “What appealed to me about him was the idea of nuance, the in-depth work on the subjects. While the political class throws punchlines, he manages to put his voice to hold a clear and thoughtful line,” assures Albane Branlant, forgetting that the person concerned has never been stingy with “little sentences.” But at a time when some members of the presidential camp are already dreaming of replacing Emmanuel Macron, the latter can ensure the inveterate support of the JAM. “There is always a visceral attachment to the president. We will be there until the end for him, whatever the developments of our movement,” adds Ambroise Méjean.
They are pro-European
Here again, nothing too surprising. Like the entire presidential party, the JAM highlights their European attachment. “It is part of our DNA and is shared by everyone here, from 15 to 80 years old. You will not find this European commitment in any other youth movement, outside of the majority,” says Ambroise Méjean. This Sunday morning, Young People with Macron also revealed 26 proposals around three axes (emancipation, transition and independence), which will be defended during the next European campaign, in June 2024.
They are punks (for macronists)
We reassure you right away, the “regional aperitif” organized by the JAM in the company of Bruno Le Maire, who opened the European campus on Thursday evening, is far from having ended in an evening of debauchery. But young Macronists sometimes like to shake up their elders on social issues, such as the “regulated legalization” of cannabis and euthanasia, but also on the end of court hunting or the reform of inheritance taxation, going against the government’s positions. “We have this impertinent side, this ability to shake things up a little with innovative proposals,” summarizes Albane Branlant. “Our pride is to have obtained progress, such as the increase in student scholarships of 37 euros per month last March », she adds. In their latest campaign, last September, the JAM illustrated their proposals with music titles, notably Banana split for free condoms for those under 26. Punks, we tell you!
They set the mood
“And for Babeth, come on, come on!” » It was with songs inspired by football culture that the young activists welcomed Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne to their stand on Saturday evening. In Emmanuel Macron’s campaign meetings as at the Renaissance campus this weekend, the boiling energy of the JAM often contrasts with the lukewarm temperance of the Macronist activists. “Generally, we always have our megaphones, our flags, we are there. A JAM sets the mood. We must not underestimate the social bond side of political commitment,” confides Ambroise Méjean. “It is a marker for all youth movements. But yes, we are happy to be there, happy to meet again, to be united, it creates a great energy,” adds Albane Branlant.
They are ambitious
While many of their predecessors have become deputies, some of the JAM are already irrigating the ministerial cabinets or the parliamentary teams of the majority. Should we see Youth with Macron as a career accelerator? “JAM is a quality label. Hiring a JAM for a ministry or elsewhere is a sign that things will go well,” smiles Ambroise Méjean. “I am therefore proud to see that many activists, who arrived here when they were sometimes far from politics, now occupy positions of responsibility,” he continues. Like their ancestors, the JAMs also know how to use wooden language when necessary.