Dining Over the Divide: A Encounter Between Opposing Viewpoints
Meeting the Individuals
One Participant: P., 34, from London
Profession Ex- government employee, now a learner studying community health
Voting record Voted the Green Party recently (also a affiliate of the political group); previously Labour Party. Identifies as “progressive, and internationalist instead of patriotic”
Interesting fact A sketch of a tea cup Peter created as a kid was once hung in the Irish National Gallery
Other Participant: Akshat, 43, from Harrow
Occupation Risk manager in the construction sector
Voting record Hailing from the Indian subcontinent, Akshat has lived in the United Kingdom for five years, and supported the Conservative Party. Identifies as “somewhat right of centre”
Interesting fact Akshat taught himself to read and write the Urdu language. “I have no use for it, I was just fascinated”
Initial impressions
Akshat During the past two decades, I’ve lived and worked in Qatar, South Korea, the US. The issues we discussed are UK-centric, but they are also universal, because people's lives more or less evolve similarly wherever it is. I was expecting someone very liberal, but he was quite measured – we had a good, rational discussion. I had a couple of beers, Peter had mojitos.
The second participant We shared appetizers – seafood rolls, dumplings, daikon cakes with beansprouts, which were superb. I was a little nervous, as I believe Akshat was. Would he criticize me for my sensitivity? We’re both immigrants. My childhood was in Dublin; I have resided in the US and Spain. We connected through our love of the capital.
Key disagreements
The first participant I view migration similar to adding salt to a meal. With a small amount, the food is delicious. Add too little or too much and the dish is insipid or overly seasoned.
The second participant He had a metaphor regarding salt. It would be a funny place to exist if the government was choosing some ideal ethnic makeup of the nation.
The first participant There are, sadly, individuals fleeing persecution, but many people arriving in the United Kingdom are economic migrants who do not necessarily contribute much and can weigh on the welfare system. Nobody forces you to go to a new country for opportunity, so you should only go if you are able to support yourself and your relatives.
Peter We got lost with some of the facts. In my view it’s like you arrive and are employed and then after five years you obtain permanent citizenship. No process is guaranteed. It’s been a hostile environment since Theresa May, application costs are really high, you pay an NHS surcharge, access to benefits is limited. The red carpet isn’t rolled out for anybody. And concerning the new policies, whereby you can’t bring your family over, it’s incredible to say: we want your work, but we don’t want you. I think we must maintain a certain level of humanity.
Sharing plate
The first participant Peter’s sceptical of unregulated markets. So am I, but at the same time, economic growth benefits society and ought to be promoted.
Peter We’re both internationalist. And we concurred that certain elements of the community – government, the press – benefit from creating conflict. We did find shared understanding in basic principles and values.
For afters
The first participant Peter is of the opinion that because the UK benefitted from colonial times, it ought to provide reparations to those countries. My view is simply: it is unfair to assess the past with present day morality; eras vary, modern people had no control of events decades or a century ago. Let’s say the UK had to compensate India, it would be a significant sum of funds. Is the UK in a position to manage that? No.
Peter In the past, I believe there was much reckoning with the colonial past. For example, when I first moved to the United Kingdom, the public had little knowledge of the Irish famine and the role that imperial rule contributed to it. My view is decolonization is not merely about issuing payments, it should be about examining what went wrong and our current responsibilities.
Takeaways
Akshat It may not alter the way I think, but I appreciate his worries. I converse with individuals regularly whose views are opposite to my own. It’s about bringing everyone to the common understanding, so that all of us can strive for the improvement of the community.
Peter We were there for two and a half hours. He enjoyed a sweet treat and I drank some sweet Japanese wine. I did not convince him of anything, but we each liked dinner, so we could hopefully be more open to engaging in dialogues with others in the coming times.
