Dining Over the Divide: A Encounter Among Opposing Viewpoints
Meeting the Participants
One Participant: Peter, 34, from London
Occupation Former government employee, now a student focusing on public health
Voting record Supported the Green Party recently (and a affiliate of the political group); previously Labour Party. Identifies as “progressive, and internationalist instead of patriotic”
Interesting fact A drawing of a tea cup Peter did as a kid was once displayed in the Irish National Gallery
Other Participant: A., 43, from Harrow
Occupation Risk analyst in the construction sector
Political history Originally from the Indian subcontinent, Akshat has lived in the United Kingdom for half a decade, and supported Conservative. Describes himself as “slightly moderate right”
Amuse bouche Akshat taught himself to read and write Urdu. “It has no practical use for me, I was just fascinated”
For starters
Akshat Over the last two decades, I’ve lived and worked in the Middle East, East Asia, the US. The issues we discussed are UK-centric, but they are also universal, because people's lives more or less evolve similarly across the world. I was expecting a staunch liberal, but he was quite measured – we had a good, rational discussion. I drank beer, he opted for mojitos.
The second participant We split appetizers – fishy spring rolls, steamed buns, daikon cakes with beansprouts, which were excellent. I felt somewhat anxious, as I think he was too. Would he criticize me for being a snowflake? 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.
The big beef
The first participant I view migration like sprinkling salt to a dish. When you add a little bit, the dish is delicious. Add too little or too much and the dish is either too bland or too salty.
Peter Akshat had a metaphor regarding salt. It would be a funny place to be if the state was selecting some ideal ethnic makeup of the nation.
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. No one compels you to move to a different nation for opportunity, so you should only go if you are able to support your own needs and your family.
The second participant We got lost with some of the facts. I don’t think it is the case that you arrive and work and then following a half-decade you get permanent citizenship. Nothing is automatic. It’s been a hostile environment for some time, application costs are really high, there is an healthcare levy, eligibility for support is limited. There is no special treatment for anybody. And regarding the recent changes, whereby family reunification is restricted, it’s incredible to say: we want your work, but we don’t want you. I believe we have to have a degree of compassion.
Common ground
The first participant Peter’s sceptical of unregulated markets. I am, too, but simultaneously, wealth creation helps communities and should be encouraged.
The second participant We’re both internationalist. And we concurred that certain elements of society – government, the press – benefit from stoking division. We did find shared understanding in fundamentals and values.
Dessert and debate
The first participant Peter believes that since the UK profited from the colonial era, it should pay reparations to those countries. My view is simply: it is unfair to assess history with present day morality; times are different, modern people had no control of what happened decades or a century ago. Suppose the UK had to compensate India, it would be a significant sum of money. Is the UK in a position to manage that? No.
Peter Until recently, I don’t think there was much reckoning with colonial history. As an instance, upon my arrival to the UK, people weren’t aware of the Irish famine and the role that colonialism played in it. My view is decolonization is not merely about issuing payments, it should be about examining past errors and where we should be now.
Final thoughts
The first participant It may not alter the my perspective, but I appreciate his worries. I converse with individuals every day whose views are opposite to my own. The goal is uniting people to the same page, in order that all of us can strive for the betterment of the community.
The second participant We remained for 150 minutes. Akshat had dessert and I drank a Japanese dessert wine. I did not convince him of anything, but we both enjoyed the meal, so we could hopefully be more receptive to engaging in dialogues with other people in the coming times.
