Dining Across the Gap: An Encounter Between Opposing Viewpoints
Introducing the Individuals
First Diner: Peter, 34, from London
Occupation Former government employee, now a student studying public health
Voting record Voted Green recently (and a member of the party); formerly Labour. Describes himself as “left, and internationalist instead of nationalist”
Amuse bouche A drawing of a tea cup Peter did as a child was once displayed in the National Gallery of Ireland
Second Participant: A., 43, Harrow
Profession Risk analyst in the construction sector
Voting record Hailing from the Indian subcontinent, he has resided in the UK for half a decade, and supported the Conservative Party. Describes himself as “somewhat right of centre”
Amuse bouche Akshat self-learned to understand Urdu. “It has no practical use for me, I simply found it intriguing”
Initial impressions
The first participant During the past two decades, I have resided and been employed in Qatar, South Korea, the United States. The issues we discussed are UK-centric, but they are also global, because human life more or less evolve similarly wherever it is. I anticipated a staunch liberal, but he was quite measured – we engaged in a productive, logical conversation. I had a couple of beers, he opted for mojitos.
The second participant We split appetizers – fishy spring rolls, dumplings, radish cakes with sprouts, which were excellent. I felt somewhat anxious, as I believe Akshat was. Would he criticize me for being a snowflake? We’re both immigrants. I grew up in Dublin; I’ve lived in the United States and the Iberian Peninsula. We connected through our love of London.
The big beef
Akshat I look at immigration similar to adding salt to a meal. When you add a little bit, the food tastes wonderful. Use too little or too much and the dish is either too bland or too salty.
The second participant He used an analogy regarding seasoning. It would be a funny place to be if the state was selecting some preferred demographic of the country.
The first participant There are, sadly, people fleeing persecution, but many migrants arriving in the UK are those seeking better finances who do not necessarily contribute much and can burden the welfare system. Nobody forces you to go to a new country for opportunity, so you should only go if you can take care of your own needs and your relatives.
Peter We became confused with some of the facts. In my view it’s like you come over and work 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 quite expensive, there is an healthcare levy, eligibility for support is limited. The red carpet isn’t rolled out for anybody. And concerning the new policies, whereby family reunification is restricted, it’s incredible to say: we want your work, but we reject you as a person. I think we have to have a degree of compassion.
Common ground
Akshat Peter questions unchecked capitalism. So am I, but simultaneously, economic growth benefits society and should be encouraged.
The second participant We each have global outlooks. And we agreed that some parts of society – government, the media – thrive off stoking division. We discovered shared understanding in basic principles and values.
Dessert and debate
The first participant Peter is of the opinion that because the UK benefitted from the colonial era, it ought to provide compensation to those countries. I simply think: you cannot judge the past with contemporary ethics; times are different, current society were not responsible of what happened 50 or 100 years ago. Suppose the Britain had to compensate the Indian nation, it would be a significant sum of money. Is the UK in a position to manage that? No.
The second participant Until recently, I believe there was much reckoning with colonial history. As an instance, when I first moved to the United Kingdom, the public had little knowledge of the Irish famine and the role that colonialism contributed to it. My view is decolonisation is not merely about signing a cheque, it should be about examining what went wrong and where we should be now.
Takeaways
The first participant It won’t change the way I think, but I understand his worries. I converse with individuals every day with opinions are contrary to mine. 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 remained for two and a half hours. Akshat had dessert and I drank some sweet Japanese wine. I didn’t persuade him of anything, but we both enjoyed the meal, so we might become more open to engaging in dialogues with others in future.
