Conversing Across the Divide: A Meeting Among Different Viewpoints

Introducing the Participants

First Diner: Peter, 34, from London

Occupation Ex- government employee, currently a learner focusing on community health

Political history Voted Green last time (and a affiliate of the political group); previously Labour. Describes himself as “progressive, and globalist instead of nationalist”

Amuse bouche A sketch of a teacup Peter did as a kid was once hung in the National Gallery of Ireland

Second Diner: Akshat, 43, Harrow

Profession Risk analyst in the infrastructure industry

Political history Hailing from India, he has lived in the UK for five years, and supported the Conservative Party. Describes himself as “slightly moderate right”

Amuse bouche Akshat taught himself to read and write the Urdu language. “I have no use for it, I simply found it intriguing”

For starters

The first participant During the past 20 years, I have resided and been employed in Qatar, East Asia, the US. The issues we talked about are UK-centric, but they are also universal, because people's lives more or less follows the same curve across the world. I anticipated someone very liberal, but Peter wasn’t all gung ho – we engaged in a good, rational discussion. I had a couple of beers, he opted for mojitos.

Peter We shared appetizers – seafood rolls, dumplings, radish cakes with sprouts, which were excellent. I was a little nervous, as I believe he was too. 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 connected through our affection for London.

Key disagreements

Akshat I view migration like adding salt to a dish. With a small amount, the food tastes wonderful. Use too little or too much and the meal is either too bland or too salty.

Peter He had a metaphor about seasoning. It would be odd to exist if the government was selecting some preferred demographic of the nation.

Akshat There are, unfortunately, people escaping oppression, but many migrants coming to the United Kingdom are economic migrants who do not necessarily contribute much and can burden the welfare system. No one compels you to move to a new country for opportunity, so you ought to relocate if you are able to support yourself and your relatives.

Peter We became confused with certain details. In my view it is the case that you arrive and are employed and then after five years you get indefinite leave to remain. No process is guaranteed. The climate has been unwelcoming for some time, visa fees are really high, you pay an NHS surcharge, access to benefits is restricted. There is no special treatment for anybody. And regarding the new policies, under which family reunification is restricted, it’s incredible to say: we desire your labor, but we don’t want you. I think we have to have a certain level of humanity.

Sharing plate

The first participant Peter’s sceptical of unregulated markets. So am I, but simultaneously, wealth creation benefits society and ought to be promoted.

Peter We’re both internationalist. And we agreed that certain elements of society – government, the media – benefit from creating conflict. We did find common ground in fundamentals and values.

For afters

Akshat Peter believes that since the UK profited from the colonial era, it should pay compensation to those countries. I simply think: you cannot judge the past with present day morality; eras vary, current society were not responsible of what happened 50 or 100 years ago. Suppose the UK had to compensate the Indian nation, it would be a significant sum of funds. Is Britain able to manage that? Certainly not.

The second participant In the past, I don’t think adequate reflection occurred with colonial history. As an instance, upon my arrival to the United Kingdom, people weren’t aware of the Great Famine and the role that colonialism contributed to it. My view is decolonization isn’t just about issuing payments, it should be about looking at what went wrong and where we should be now.

Final thoughts

Akshat It won’t change the way I think, but I understand Peter’s concerns. I converse with individuals regularly with opinions are opposite to mine. It’s about bringing everyone to the same page, in order that everyone can work towards the improvement of the community.

The second participant We remained for two and a half hours. He enjoyed a sweet treat and I drank some sweet Japanese wine. I didn’t persuade him of anything, but we each liked dinner, so we could hopefully be more receptive to having conversations with other people in future.