Dining Over the Divide: A Meeting Among Different Viewpoints
Meeting the Participants
First Diner: P., 34, London
Profession Former government employee, currently a student studying community health
Political history Voted Green recently (and a affiliate of the party); previously Labour Party. Describes himself as “progressive, and internationalist instead of patriotic”
Interesting fact A drawing of a tea cup he did as a kid was once hung in the Irish National Gallery
Other Diner: Akshat, 43, Harrow
Profession Risk manager in the construction sector
Political history Originally from India, he has lived in the UK for five years, and supported Conservative. Identifies as “slightly right of centre”
Amuse bouche Akshat self-learned to understand the Urdu language. “It has no practical use for me, I was just fascinated”
Initial impressions
Akshat During the past two decades, I have resided and been employed in Qatar, South Korea, the US. The topics we discussed are UK-centric, but they are also global, because people's lives more or less follows the same curve wherever it is. I anticipated a staunch liberal, but Peter wasn’t all gung ho – we engaged in a good, rational discussion. I drank beer, he opted for mojitos.
Peter We shared appetizers – seafood rolls, steamed buns, daikon cakes with beansprouts, which were superb. I was a little nervous, as I believe Akshat was. Was he going to attack me for being a snowflake? We’re both immigrants. My childhood was in Dublin; I’ve lived in the US and Spain. We bonded over our affection for London.
The big beef
Akshat I look at migration like sprinkling salt to a dish. With a small amount, the food tastes wonderful. Add too little or too much and the meal is either too bland or too salty.
Peter He used an analogy about salt. It would be odd to be if the government was selecting some ideal ethnic makeup of the nation.
The first participant There are, unfortunately, individuals fleeing persecution, but many people arriving in the United Kingdom are those seeking better finances who do not necessarily add significant value and can burden the welfare system. No one compels you to go to a new country for prospects, so you should only go if you can take care of yourself and your relatives.
The second participant We got lost with certain details. In my view it’s like you arrive and work and then after five years 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 restricted. The red carpet isn’t rolled out for anybody. And regarding the recent changes, whereby you can’t bring your family over, 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 unregulated markets. I am, too, but simultaneously, economic growth helps communities and should be encouraged.
Peter We each have global outlooks. And we agreed that some parts of society – politics, the press – thrive off stoking division. We did find shared understanding in fundamentals and ethics.
Dessert and debate
The first participant Peter believes that since the UK profited from colonial times, it ought to provide reparations to those countries. I simply think: it is unfair to assess the past with contemporary ethics; eras vary, modern people had no control of what happened decades or a century ago. Let’s say the Britain was obliged to repay the Indian nation, it would be a huge amount of money. Is Britain able to manage that? Certainly not.
The second participant Until recently, I don’t think there was much reckoning with the colonial past. As an instance, upon my arrival to the UK, the public weren’t aware of the Irish famine and the part that imperial rule contributed to it. I hold that decolonization is not merely about signing a cheque, it ought to involve examining past errors and our current responsibilities.
Final thoughts
Akshat It won’t change the way I think, but I understand his worries. I converse with people regularly with opinions are opposite to mine. The goal is bringing everyone to the common understanding, so that everyone can strive for the betterment of society.
Peter We remained for 150 minutes. Akshat had dessert and I had some sweet Japanese wine. I did not convince him of any point, but we each liked the meal, so we could hopefully be more open to engaging in dialogues with other people in the coming times.
