Conversing Across the Gap: A Meeting Among Different Perspectives
Meeting the Individuals
One Participant: P., 34, from London
Occupation Ex- government employee, now a learner studying community health
Voting record Voted Green last time (and a member of the party); formerly Labour. Describes himself as “left, and internationalist instead of nationalist”
Amuse bouche A sketch of a tea cup Peter created as a child was once displayed in the National Gallery of Ireland
Other Diner: A., 43, Harrow
Profession Risk manager in the infrastructure industry
Voting record Hailing from India, he has resided in the United Kingdom for half a decade, and supported the Conservative Party. Identifies as “slightly right of centre”
Amuse bouche Akshat taught himself to read and write Urdu. “I have no use for it, I was just fascinated”
For starters
Akshat Over the last two decades, I’ve lived and worked in Qatar, East Asia, the United States. The issues Peter and I discussed are UK-centric, but they are also universal, because human life largely evolve similarly 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, Peter had mojitos.
Peter We split appetizers – fishy spring rolls, dumplings, daikon cakes with beansprouts, which were superb. I was a little nervous, as I believe Akshat was. Was he going to attack me for my sensitivity? We each have immigrant backgrounds. My childhood was in Dublin; I have resided in the US and Spain. We bonded over our love of London.
Key disagreements
The first participant I view migration similar to sprinkling salt to a dish. With a small amount, the food tastes wonderful. Add too little or too much and the dish is either too bland or too salty.
Peter He used an analogy regarding seasoning. It would be a funny place to be if the state was choosing some preferred demographic of the country.
The first participant There are, sadly, individuals escaping oppression, but a lot of migrants arriving in 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 opportunity, so you should only go if you are able to support yourself and your relatives.
The second participant We got lost with some of the facts. In my view it is the case that you arrive and are employed and then following a half-decade you obtain permanent citizenship. No process is guaranteed. It’s been a hostile environment since Theresa May, visa fees are quite expensive, you pay an NHS surcharge, access to benefits is limited. There is no special treatment for anybody. And concerning the new policies, under which you can’t bring your family over, it is astonishing to state: we want your work, but we reject you as a person. I think we have to have a degree of compassion.
Sharing plate
The first participant Peter questions unchecked capitalism. I am, too, but at the same time, wealth creation helps communities and ought to be promoted.
Peter We’re both internationalist. And we agreed that some parts of the community – government, the media – thrive off creating conflict. We did find shared understanding in fundamentals and ethics.
For afters
The first participant Peter believes that since the United Kingdom benefitted from the colonial era, it should pay compensation to affected nations. I simply think: you cannot judge history with contemporary ethics; times are different, modern people were not responsible of events decades or a century ago. Suppose the UK was obliged to repay the Indian nation, it would be a significant sum of money. Is Britain able to manage that? Certainly not.
The second participant In the past, I don’t think adequate reflection occurred with colonial history. For example, when I first moved to the UK, people weren’t aware of the Irish famine and the role that colonialism contributed to it. My view is decolonization is not merely about signing a cheque, it ought to involve examining what went wrong and our current responsibilities.
Final thoughts
Akshat It won’t change the my perspective, but I appreciate his worries. I talk to individuals every day whose views are contrary to my own. It’s about uniting people to the common understanding, in order that everyone can strive for the betterment of the community.
Peter We remained for two and a half hours. Akshat had dessert and I had a Japanese dessert wine. I didn’t persuade him of any point, but we each liked dinner, so we could hopefully be more receptive to engaging in dialogues with other people in future.
