Dining Over the Divide: A Meeting Between Different Viewpoints
Meeting the Individuals
First Participant: Peter, 34, London
Occupation Ex- civil servant, now a learner focusing on public health
Political history Supported Green recently (and a affiliate of the political group); formerly Labour. Describes himself as “progressive, and globalist rather than nationalist”
Amuse bouche A sketch of a tea cup he did as a child was once hung in the National Gallery of Ireland
Second Participant: Akshat, 43, from Harrow
Occupation Risk analyst in the construction sector
Voting record Originally from the Indian subcontinent, he has lived in the UK for five years, and voted the Conservative Party. Identifies as “somewhat right of centre”
Interesting fact Akshat taught himself to read and write Urdu. “I have no use for it, I was just fascinated”
For starters
The first participant Over the last 20 years, I have resided and been employed in the Middle East, South Korea, the United States. The issues Peter and I discussed are UK-centric, but they are also global, because human life more or less evolve similarly across the world. I anticipated a staunch liberal, but Peter wasn’t all gung ho – we engaged in a productive, logical conversation. I drank beer, he opted for mojitos.
Peter We shared starters – fishy spring rolls, steamed buns, radish cakes with sprouts, which were superb. I was a little nervous, as I believe Akshat was. Was he going to attack me for being a snowflake? We’re both immigrants. I grew up in Dublin; I’ve lived in the US and Spain. We connected through our love of the capital.
Key disagreements
Akshat I view immigration similar to sprinkling salt to a meal. With a small amount, the dish tastes wonderful. Use too little or too much and the dish is insipid or overly seasoned.
The second participant He used an analogy about salt. It would be a funny place to be if the government was choosing some preferred demographic of the country.
Akshat There are, sadly, individuals fleeing persecution, but many migrants arriving in the UK are economic migrants who do not necessarily contribute much and can burden the welfare system. Nobody forces you to move to a new country for prospects, so you ought to relocate if you can take care of yourself and your family.
The second participant We became confused with some of the facts. I don’t think it is the case that you arrive and work and then following a half-decade you obtain permanent citizenship. Nothing is automatic. The climate has been unwelcoming since Theresa May, application costs are really high, you pay an healthcare levy, access to benefits is restricted. The red carpet isn’t rolled out for anyone. And concerning the recent changes, whereby you can’t bring your family over, it is astonishing to state: we want your work, but we don’t want you. I believe we must maintain a degree of humanity.
Sharing plate
The first participant Peter questions unregulated markets. I am, too, but simultaneously, economic growth helps communities and ought to be promoted.
Peter We each have global outlooks. And we concurred that certain elements of the community – politics, the media – thrive off stoking division. We did find common ground in basic principles and ethics.
Dessert and debate
Akshat Peter believes that since the UK benefitted from the colonial era, it ought to provide reparations to those countries. I simply think: you cannot judge the past with contemporary ethics; times are different, current society were not responsible of events 50 or 100 years ago. Let’s say the UK had to compensate the Indian nation, it would be a significant sum of funds. Is Britain able to do that? No.
Peter In the past, I don’t think there was much reckoning with colonial history. As an instance, when I first moved to the UK, people weren’t aware of the Irish famine and the part that colonialism played in it. My view is decolonization isn’t just about issuing payments, it should be about examining past errors and our current responsibilities.
Final thoughts
The first participant It won’t change the way I think, but I understand his worries. I talk to individuals every day with opinions are opposite to mine. The goal is uniting people to the same page, so that all of us can work towards the improvement of society.
The second participant We remained for 150 minutes. Akshat had dessert and I had some sweet Japanese wine. I didn’t persuade him of anything, but we each liked dinner, so we could hopefully be more open to having conversations with others in future.
