Dining Over the Divide: A Encounter Among Different Perspectives

Introducing the Individuals

First Diner: Peter, 34, London

Profession Former government employee, now a student focusing on public health

Political history Voted Green recently (and a affiliate of the political group); formerly Labour. Identifies as “progressive, and internationalist rather than patriotic”

Amuse bouche A drawing of a teacup Peter created as a kid was once hung in the Irish National Gallery

Other Diner: A., 43, from Harrow

Occupation Risk manager in the construction sector

Voting record Originally from India, he has resided in the United Kingdom for five years, and supported the Conservative Party. Identifies as “somewhat right of centre”

Interesting fact He self-learned to read and write Urdu. “It has no practical use for me, I simply found it intriguing”

Initial impressions

Akshat Over the last 20 years, I’ve lived and worked in the Middle East, South Korea, the US. The topics we talked about are focused on Britain, but they are also universal, because human life more or less evolve similarly wherever it is. I was expecting 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 split starters – fishy spring rolls, steamed buns, radish cakes with sprouts, which were superb. I was a little nervous, as I believe Akshat was. Would he criticize me for being a snowflake? We’re both immigrants. I grew up in Dublin; I have resided in the United States and the Iberian Peninsula. We connected through our affection for the capital.

Key disagreements

The first participant I look at migration like adding salt to a dish. With a small amount, the food is delicious. Use too little or too much and the meal is insipid or overly seasoned.

Peter He used an analogy about salt. It would be odd to be if the state was selecting some ideal ethnic makeup of the country.

Akshat There are, sadly, people fleeing persecution, but a lot of migrants arriving in the UK are economic migrants who may not add significant value and can burden the benefit system. No one compels you to go to a new country for opportunity, so you ought to relocate if you are able to support yourself and your family.

The second participant We got lost with some of the facts. In my view it’s like you arrive and work and then after five years you get permanent citizenship. No process is guaranteed. The climate has been unwelcoming since Theresa May, application costs are really high, you pay an NHS surcharge, access to benefits is limited. There is no special treatment 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 don’t want you. I believe we have to have a degree of compassion.

Sharing plate

Akshat Peter questions unchecked capitalism. I am, too, but at the same time, wealth creation helps communities and ought to be promoted.

The second participant We’re both internationalist. And we concurred that some parts of the community – politics, the media – benefit from stoking division. We did find shared understanding in basic principles and values.

For afters

The first participant Peter believes that since 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; times are different, current society had no control of events decades or a century ago. Suppose the Britain had to compensate India, it would be a significant sum of money. Is Britain able to manage that? Certainly not.

The second participant In the past, I don’t think adequate reflection occurred with the colonial past. As an instance, when I first moved to the UK, the public had little knowledge of the Irish famine and the part that imperial rule contributed to it. My view is decolonisation is not merely about issuing payments, it ought to involve looking at what went wrong and our current responsibilities.

Final thoughts

Akshat It won’t change the way I think, but I understand Peter’s concerns. I converse with people regularly with opinions are opposite to my own. The goal is bringing everyone to the common understanding, so that all of us can work towards the improvement of society.

Peter We remained for 150 minutes. He enjoyed a sweet treat and I had some sweet Japanese wine. I did not convince him of anything, but we both enjoyed the meal, so we could hopefully be more open to engaging in dialogues with others in future.