Dining Over the Gap: An Meeting Among Different Perspectives
Meeting the Individuals
First Participant: P., 34, from London
Occupation Ex- government employee, currently a student studying community health
Political history Supported Green recently (and a member of the political group); previously Labour Party. Describes himself as “left, and internationalist rather than nationalist”
Interesting fact A drawing of a teacup Peter did as a kid was once displayed in the National Gallery of Ireland
Second Diner: Akshat, 43, Harrow
Occupation Risk manager in the construction sector
Political history Originally from India, Akshat has resided in the United Kingdom for half a decade, and supported Conservative. Describes himself as “somewhat right of centre”
Amuse bouche Akshat taught himself 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’ve lived and worked in the Middle East, South Korea, the United States. The topics we discussed are UK-centric, but they are also global, because people's lives largely evolve similarly wherever it is. I anticipated someone very liberal, but he was quite measured – we had a good, rational discussion. I had a couple of beers, Peter had mojitos.
The second participant We split appetizers – seafood rolls, steamed buns, daikon cakes with beansprouts, which were excellent. I felt somewhat anxious, as I believe Akshat was. Would he criticize me for being a snowflake? We each have immigrant backgrounds. I grew up in Dublin; I have resided in the US and the Iberian Peninsula. We connected through our affection for London.
Key disagreements
Akshat I look at immigration similar to adding salt to a meal. With a small amount, the dish is delicious. Add too little or too much and the meal is insipid or overly seasoned.
The second participant Akshat used an analogy regarding seasoning. It would be a funny place to exist if the state was selecting some preferred demographic of the country.
The first participant There are, sadly, individuals escaping oppression, but many migrants arriving in the United Kingdom are economic migrants who do not necessarily contribute much and can burden the welfare system. Nobody forces you to go to a new country for prospects, so you should only go if you are able to support yourself and your relatives.
The second participant We became confused with some of the facts. I don’t think it’s like you come over and are employed and then following a half-decade you obtain permanent citizenship. Nothing is automatic. The climate has been unwelcoming for some time, application costs are really high, you pay an NHS surcharge, access to benefits is limited. The red carpet isn’t rolled out for anybody. And concerning the recent changes, whereby family reunification is restricted, it is astonishing to state: we want your work, but we reject you as a person. I think we must maintain a certain level of humanity.
Common ground
Akshat Peter’s sceptical of unchecked capitalism. I am, too, but simultaneously, economic growth helps communities and ought to be promoted.
Peter We’re both internationalist. And we agreed that some parts of the community – government, the press – thrive off stoking division. We discovered shared understanding in basic principles and ethics.
For afters
Akshat Peter is of the opinion that since the United Kingdom profited from the colonial era, it should pay compensation to affected nations. I simply think: you cannot judge the past with contemporary ethics; eras vary, modern people were not responsible of events 50 or 100 years ago. Suppose the Britain had to compensate India, it would be a huge amount of funds. Is the UK in a position to do that? Certainly not.
Peter Until recently, I don’t think there was much reckoning with colonial history. As an instance, when I first moved to the UK, the public weren’t aware of the Irish famine and the role that colonialism played in it. I hold that decolonisation is not merely about signing a cheque, it ought to involve examining what went wrong and where we should be now.
Final thoughts
The first participant It may not alter the my perspective, but I appreciate Peter’s concerns. I converse with people regularly with opinions are opposite to mine. The goal is bringing everyone to the common understanding, so that everyone can work towards the betterment of society.
Peter We remained 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 might become more receptive to having conversations with other people in future.
