Conversing Across the Divide: An Meeting Among Different Perspectives

Meeting the Participants

First Diner: P., 34, London

Occupation Ex- civil servant, currently a student focusing on community health

Voting record Voted the Green Party last time (also a member of the political group); previously Labour Party. Identifies as “left, and internationalist instead of nationalist”

Amuse bouche A drawing of a teacup he created as a child was once displayed in the Irish National Gallery

Second Participant: A., 43, Harrow

Occupation Risk manager in the construction sector

Voting record Originally from the Indian subcontinent, Akshat has resided in the UK for five years, and supported the Conservative Party. Identifies as “slightly moderate right”

Interesting fact Akshat taught himself to read and write Urdu. “It has no practical use for me, I simply found it intriguing”

Initial impressions

Akshat Over the last 20 years, I have resided and been employed in Qatar, South Korea, the United States. The issues Peter and I talked about are UK-centric, but they are also global, because people's lives largely follows the same curve across the world. I anticipated a staunch liberal, but he was quite measured – we had a productive, logical conversation. I drank beer, he opted for mojitos.

The second participant We shared appetizers – seafood rolls, steamed buns, radish cakes with sprouts, which were superb. I felt somewhat anxious, as I believe he was too. Would he criticize me for my sensitivity? We each have immigrant backgrounds. My childhood was in Dublin; I have resided in the United States and Spain. We bonded over our love of the capital.

Key disagreements

The first participant I view migration like sprinkling salt to a meal. When you add a little bit, the dish is delicious. Use too little or too much and the dish is insipid or overly seasoned.

Peter He had a metaphor regarding salt. It would be odd to exist if the government was selecting some preferred demographic of the country.

The first participant There are, sadly, people escaping oppression, but a lot of migrants coming to the United Kingdom are those seeking better finances who do not necessarily contribute much and can weigh on the welfare system. Nobody forces you to move to a new country for prospects, so you ought to relocate if you can take care of yourself and your relatives.

The second participant We became confused with certain details. I don’t think it is the case that you arrive and work and then following a half-decade you get indefinite leave to remain. Nothing is automatic. It’s been a hostile environment since Theresa May, application costs are quite expensive, you pay an NHS surcharge, eligibility for support is limited. There is no special treatment for anyone. And concerning the new policies, 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 degree of compassion.

Sharing plate

Akshat Peter’s sceptical of unregulated markets. So am I, but simultaneously, economic growth benefits society and ought to be promoted.

Peter We’re both internationalist. And we agreed that certain elements of the community – politics, the media – benefit from stoking division. We discovered common ground in basic principles and ethics.

Dessert and debate

The first participant Peter believes that since the UK benefitted from the colonial era, it should pay compensation to those countries. I simply think: you cannot judge history with present day morality; times are different, current society were not responsible of what happened decades or a century ago. Let’s say the UK was obliged to repay the Indian nation, it would be a huge amount of funds. Is Britain able to manage that? Certainly not.

Peter In the past, I believe there was much reckoning with the colonial past. For example, when I first moved to the United Kingdom, people weren’t aware of the Great Famine and the role that imperial rule contributed to it. I hold that decolonisation is not merely about signing a cheque, it ought to involve looking at what went wrong and where we should be now.

Final thoughts

The first participant It won’t change the my perspective, but I understand his worries. I talk to individuals regularly whose views are opposite to mine. The goal is uniting people to the common understanding, so that all of us can strive for the improvement of society.

Peter We remained for two and a half hours. Akshat had dessert and I drank a Japanese dessert wine. I did not convince him of anything, but we each liked the meal, so we might become more open to engaging in dialogues with other people in future.