Conversing Over the Gap: A Encounter Among Different Viewpoints
Meeting the Individuals
One Participant: Peter, 34, from London
Occupation Former government employee, currently a student focusing on community health
Voting record Supported the Green Party last time (and a member of the political group); formerly Labour. Describes himself as “progressive, and globalist rather than patriotic”
Interesting fact A sketch of a tea cup Peter created as a kid was once hung in the Irish National Gallery
Other Participant: A., 43, Harrow
Occupation Risk analyst in the construction sector
Voting record Hailing from the Indian subcontinent, he has lived in the UK for five years, and voted the Conservative Party. Identifies as “somewhat right of centre”
Amuse bouche Akshat taught himself to read and write Urdu. “I have no use for it, I simply found it intriguing”
Initial impressions
Akshat Over the last 20 years, I’ve lived and worked in Qatar, East Asia, the US. The issues Peter and I discussed are focused on Britain, but they are also universal, because people's lives more or less follows the same curve across the world. I anticipated someone very liberal, but he was quite measured – we engaged in a productive, logical conversation. I drank beer, Peter had mojitos.
Peter We shared appetizers – fishy spring rolls, steamed buns, radish cakes with sprouts, which were superb. I was a little nervous, as I believe Akshat was. Would he criticize me for being a snowflake? We’re both immigrants. My childhood was in Dublin; I’ve lived in the United States and the Iberian Peninsula. We connected through our affection for London.
Key disagreements
Akshat I view migration similar to adding salt to a meal. With a small amount, the food is delicious. Add too little or too much and the meal is either too bland or too salty.
Peter He had a metaphor regarding salt. It would be odd to be if the state was selecting some preferred demographic of the nation.
The first participant There are, unfortunately, people escaping oppression, but a lot of people arriving in the United Kingdom are economic migrants who may not contribute much and can weigh on the welfare system. No one compels you to go to a different nation for prospects, so you should only go if you can take care of yourself and your relatives.
The second participant We became confused with certain details. In my view it is the case that you come over and work and then following a half-decade you get indefinite leave to remain. Nothing is automatic. It’s been a hostile environment for some time, application costs are really high, there is an healthcare levy, eligibility for support is restricted. The red carpet isn’t rolled out for anyone. And regarding the recent changes, whereby you can’t bring your family over, it is astonishing to state: we desire your labor, but we don’t want you. I believe we have to have a degree of humanity.
Sharing plate
The first participant Peter questions unregulated markets. I am, too, but simultaneously, economic growth benefits society and should be encouraged.
The second participant We’re both internationalist. And we agreed that certain elements of the community – government, the media – benefit from creating conflict. We did find shared understanding in fundamentals and ethics.
For afters
The first participant Peter is of the opinion that because the UK benefitted from the colonial era, it should pay compensation to those countries. My view is simply: it is unfair to assess history with present day morality; times are different, current society 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 the UK in a position to do 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, the public weren’t aware of the Irish famine and the part that imperial rule played in it. My view is decolonisation is not merely about signing a cheque, it should be about looking at what went wrong and our current responsibilities.
Final thoughts
The first participant It may not alter the my perspective, but I appreciate his worries. I talk to individuals every day with opinions are opposite to mine. It’s about bringing everyone to the same page, in order that everyone can work towards the improvement of the community.
Peter We remained for two and a half hours. He enjoyed a sweet treat and I drank a Japanese dessert wine. I didn’t persuade him of any point, but we each liked the meal, so we might become more receptive to having conversations with other people in the coming times.