Dining Across the Divide: A Meeting Between Opposing Viewpoints
Meeting the Individuals
First Participant: Peter, 34, London
Profession Ex- government employee, now a student studying community health
Political history Voted the Green Party last time (also a affiliate of the party); previously Labour Party. Identifies as “progressive, and internationalist instead of nationalist”
Interesting fact A drawing of a tea cup he created as a kid was once hung in the Irish National Gallery
Second Diner: A., 43, Harrow
Occupation Risk analyst in the infrastructure industry
Political history Hailing from India, Akshat has resided in the United Kingdom for half a decade, and supported the Conservative Party. Describes himself as “slightly right of centre”
Interesting fact Akshat self-learned to read and write Urdu. “I have no use for it, I was just fascinated”
Initial impressions
The first participant Over the last 20 years, I’ve lived and worked in Qatar, East Asia, the United States. The issues we talked about are UK-centric, but they are also global, because people's lives more or less follows the same curve across the world. I was expecting someone very liberal, but he was quite measured – we engaged in a productive, logical conversation. I drank beer, Peter had mojitos.
Peter We split appetizers – seafood rolls, dumplings, daikon cakes with beansprouts, which were superb. I was a little nervous, as I believe Akshat was. Was he going to attack me for my sensitivity? We’re both immigrants. My childhood was in Dublin; I have resided in the US and the Iberian Peninsula. We bonded over our love of London.
The big beef
Akshat I look at immigration like adding salt to a meal. When you add a little bit, the food tastes wonderful. Add too little or too much and the meal is insipid or overly seasoned.
Peter He used an analogy regarding salt. It would be a funny place to be if the state was selecting some ideal ethnic makeup of the country.
The first participant There are, sadly, people escaping oppression, but a lot of migrants arriving in the UK are economic migrants who may not contribute much and can weigh on the benefit system. No one compels you to go to a new country for opportunity, so you ought to relocate if you can take care of your own needs 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 are employed and then after five years you obtain indefinite leave to remain. Nothing is automatic. It’s been a hostile environment since Theresa May, application costs are really high, you pay an healthcare levy, eligibility for support is limited. There is no special treatment for anybody. And concerning the recent changes, whereby you can’t bring your family over, it’s incredible to say: we want your work, but we reject you as a person. I believe we must maintain a certain level of humanity.
Common ground
The first participant Peter’s sceptical of unchecked capitalism. So am I, but simultaneously, wealth creation benefits society and should be encouraged.
The second participant We’re both internationalist. And we agreed that some parts of the community – politics, the media – benefit from stoking division. We did find shared understanding in fundamentals and values.
Dessert and debate
Akshat Peter is of the opinion that since the UK benefitted from colonial times, it should pay reparations to affected nations. My view is simply: it is unfair to assess the past with contemporary ethics; eras vary, modern people had no control of events 50 or 100 years ago. Let’s say the UK had to compensate India, it would be a huge amount of money. Is Britain able to manage that? No.
Peter Until recently, I believe adequate reflection occurred with colonial history. As an instance, upon my arrival to the United Kingdom, people weren’t aware of the Irish famine and the role that imperial rule contributed to it. My view is decolonization is not merely about signing a cheque, it ought to involve looking at what went wrong and our current responsibilities.
Final thoughts
Akshat It may not alter the way I think, but I understand his worries. I converse with individuals every day with opinions are opposite to my own. The goal is uniting people to the same page, so that all of us can work towards the betterment of society.
The second participant We were there for two and a half hours. He enjoyed a sweet treat and I had a Japanese dessert wine. I did not convince him of anything, but we both enjoyed dinner, so we could hopefully be more open to engaging in dialogues with other people in the coming times.
