Dining Across the Gap: A Meeting Between Opposing Viewpoints
Introducing the Participants
First Participant: P., 34, from London
Occupation Ex- civil servant, currently a student studying public health
Voting record Supported Green recently (also a member of the party); previously Labour. Identifies as “progressive, and internationalist instead of patriotic”
Interesting fact A sketch of a tea cup Peter did as a kid was once displayed in the Irish National Gallery
Other Diner: Akshat, 43, from Harrow
Occupation Risk analyst in the infrastructure industry
Voting record Hailing from India, he has lived in the UK for five years, and supported Conservative. 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
The first participant During the past 20 years, I have resided and been employed in Qatar, South Korea, the United States. The topics we discussed are UK-centric, but they are also universal, because people's lives more or less evolve similarly across the world. I anticipated someone very liberal, but Peter wasn’t all gung ho – we had a productive, logical conversation. I drank beer, Peter had mojitos.
Peter We shared starters – seafood rolls, dumplings, daikon cakes with beansprouts, which were excellent. I was a little nervous, as I think 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 United States and the Iberian Peninsula. We connected through our love of the capital.
The big beef
Akshat I view migration like sprinkling salt to a meal. With a small amount, the dish is delicious. Add too little or too much and the dish is insipid or overly seasoned.
Peter Akshat used an analogy regarding salt. It would be a funny place to exist if the government was choosing some ideal ethnic makeup of the country.
Akshat There are, sadly, people escaping oppression, but many people arriving in the UK are economic migrants who do not necessarily contribute much and can weigh on the benefit system. Nobody forces you to move to a different nation for opportunity, so you ought to relocate if you are able to support yourself and your family.
Peter We became confused with some of the facts. I don’t think it is the case that you arrive and are employed and then following a half-decade you obtain permanent citizenship. No process is guaranteed. It’s been a hostile environment since Theresa May, application costs are really high, there is an healthcare levy, access to benefits is limited. The red carpet isn’t rolled out for anybody. And concerning the recent changes, under which you can’t bring your family over, it is astonishing to state: we desire your labor, but we reject you as a person. I think we must maintain a degree of humanity.
Sharing plate
The first participant Peter questions unregulated markets. So am I, but simultaneously, wealth creation benefits society and ought to be promoted.
The second participant We each have global outlooks. And we concurred that some parts of society – government, the media – benefit from creating conflict. We did find shared understanding in fundamentals and ethics.
For afters
Akshat Peter is of the opinion that since the UK profited from colonial times, it should pay reparations to those countries. My view is simply: it is unfair to assess history with present day morality; eras vary, modern people were not responsible of events decades or a century ago. Let’s say the UK was obliged to repay the Indian nation, it would be a huge amount of funds. Is the UK in a position to do that? No.
Peter In the past, I believe there was much reckoning with colonial history. For example, when I first moved to the UK, people had little knowledge of the Irish famine and the part that imperial rule played in it. My view is decolonisation isn’t just about issuing payments, it ought to involve examining past errors and our current responsibilities.
Takeaways
The first participant It may not alter the way I think, but I appreciate his worries. I talk to individuals regularly with opinions are contrary to my own. The goal is bringing everyone to the common understanding, in order that all of us can work towards the betterment of the community.
Peter We were there 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 having conversations with other people in future.
