Conversing Across the Gap: A Meeting Among Different Perspectives
Meeting the Individuals
First Participant: P., 34, from London
Occupation Former government employee, now a learner studying public health
Political history Supported Green last time (and a member of the political group); previously Labour. Describes himself as “left, and internationalist instead of patriotic”
Interesting fact A drawing of a teacup Peter created as a child was once hung in the National Gallery of Ireland
Second Diner: Akshat, 43, from Harrow
Profession Risk manager in the infrastructure industry
Political history Hailing from the Indian subcontinent, he has resided in the UK for half a decade, and voted the Conservative Party. Describes himself as “slightly right of centre”
Amuse bouche Akshat self-learned to understand the Urdu language. “I have no use for it, I simply found it intriguing”
Initial impressions
Akshat During the past two decades, I have resided and been employed in Qatar, East Asia, the US. The topics we discussed are focused on Britain, but they are also universal, because people's lives largely 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 drank beer, he opted for mojitos.
Peter We split appetizers – fishy spring rolls, dumplings, daikon cakes with beansprouts, which were excellent. I was a little nervous, as I think Akshat was. Would he criticize me for my sensitivity? We’re both immigrants. I grew up in Dublin; I’ve lived in the US and Spain. We connected through our affection for the capital.
Key disagreements
Akshat I look at immigration like adding salt to a meal. When you add a little bit, the dish is delicious. Add too little or too much and the dish is insipid or overly seasoned.
Peter He had a metaphor about salt. It would be a funny place to exist if the state was choosing some ideal ethnic makeup of the country.
The first participant There are, unfortunately, individuals escaping oppression, but a lot of people coming to the United Kingdom are those seeking better finances who may not contribute much and can weigh on the benefit system. Nobody forces you to go to a new country for opportunity, so you ought to relocate if you are able to support yourself and your relatives.
The second participant We got lost with certain details. In my view it is the case that you come over and are employed and then following a half-decade you obtain indefinite leave to remain. No process is guaranteed. It’s been a hostile environment since Theresa May, application costs are quite expensive, you pay an NHS surcharge, access to benefits is limited. There is no special treatment for anybody. And concerning the recent changes, under which you can’t bring your family over, it is astonishing to state: we desire your labor, but we reject you as a person. I think we must maintain a degree of humanity.
Common ground
The first participant Peter’s sceptical of unregulated markets. So am I, but simultaneously, wealth creation benefits society and should be encouraged.
The second participant We’re both internationalist. And we concurred that some parts of the community – politics, the press – thrive off stoking division. We discovered shared understanding in fundamentals and ethics.
Dessert and debate
The first participant Peter believes that because the UK profited from the colonial era, it should pay reparations to those countries. My view is simply: you cannot judge history with present day morality; times are different, modern people 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 funds. Is Britain able to manage that? Certainly not.
Peter In the past, I believe there was much reckoning with the colonial past. As an instance, when I first moved to the United Kingdom, the public weren’t aware of the Great Famine and the part that imperial rule contributed to it. I hold that decolonization isn’t just about issuing payments, it should be about examining past errors and our current responsibilities.
Final thoughts
The first participant It won’t change the my perspective, but I understand his worries. I converse with people every day whose views are contrary to my own. It’s about uniting people to the common understanding, so that all of us can strive for the improvement of society.
The second participant We were there 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 dinner, so we could hopefully be more receptive to engaging in dialogues with other people in future.
