Dining Across the Gap: A Meeting Between Opposing Viewpoints
Introducing the Participants
First Participant: P., 34, London
Occupation Former civil servant, now a learner studying public health
Voting record Supported Green recently (and a affiliate of the party); formerly Labour Party. Describes himself as “progressive, and globalist instead of patriotic”
Interesting fact A sketch of a tea cup Peter created as a child was once hung in the Irish National Gallery
Other Diner: Akshat, 43, from Harrow
Occupation Risk manager in the infrastructure industry
Voting record Hailing from India, he has resided in the United Kingdom for half a decade, and voted the Conservative Party. Identifies as “somewhat right of centre”
Amuse bouche He taught himself to understand Urdu. “It has no practical use for me, I was just fascinated”
For starters
Akshat Over the last 20 years, I have resided and been employed in Qatar, East Asia, the United States. The issues Peter and I talked about are focused on Britain, but they are also universal, because people's lives largely follows the same curve across the world. I anticipated a staunch liberal, but he was quite measured – we had a productive, logical conversation. I had a couple of beers, he opted for mojitos.
Peter We split appetizers – fishy spring rolls, dumplings, radish cakes with sprouts, which were superb. I was a little nervous, as I think he was too. Would he criticize me for being a snowflake? We’re both immigrants. I grew up in Dublin; I have resided in the US and Spain. We connected through our affection for the capital.
Key disagreements
Akshat I look at migration similar to adding salt to a meal. When you add a little bit, the dish is delicious. Use too little or too much and the dish is insipid or overly seasoned.
The second participant Akshat used an analogy regarding salt. It would be a funny place to be if the state was choosing some ideal ethnic makeup of the nation.
The first participant There are, unfortunately, individuals fleeing persecution, but a lot of people arriving in the UK are those seeking better finances who may not add significant value and can burden the benefit system. No one compels you to move to a different nation for prospects, so you should only go if you are able to support your own needs and your family.
Peter We got lost with certain details. I don’t think it’s like you arrive and work and then after five years you get permanent citizenship. No process is guaranteed. It’s been a hostile environment for some time, visa fees are really high, you pay an healthcare levy, access to benefits is restricted. The red carpet isn’t rolled out for anybody. And concerning the new policies, under which you can’t bring your family over, it is astonishing to state: we want your work, but we reject you as a person. I believe we must maintain a degree of compassion.
Common ground
The first participant Peter’s sceptical of unregulated markets. I am, too, but simultaneously, economic growth benefits society and should be encouraged.
The second participant We’re both internationalist. And we agreed that certain elements of society – politics, the press – benefit from stoking division. We discovered shared understanding in fundamentals and values.
For afters
Akshat Peter believes that because the United Kingdom benefitted from the colonial era, it ought to provide compensation to those countries. My view is simply: you cannot judge the past with present day morality; eras vary, current society had no control of what happened 50 or 100 years ago. Suppose the UK was obliged to repay India, it would be a significant sum of money. Is the UK in a position to manage that? No.
Peter Until recently, I believe there was much reckoning with colonial history. As an instance, when I first moved to the UK, the public weren’t aware of the Irish famine and the role that colonialism contributed to it. I hold that decolonisation isn’t just about signing a cheque, it should be about examining what went wrong and our current responsibilities.
Takeaways
Akshat It won’t change the way I think, but I understand his worries. I converse with individuals regularly with opinions are opposite to my own. It’s about uniting people to the same page, so that all of us can work towards the betterment of society.
Peter We remained for 150 minutes. He enjoyed a sweet treat and I drank some sweet Japanese wine. I didn’t persuade him of any point, but we both enjoyed dinner, so we might become more open to having conversations with others in future.
