Introducing the Participants
One Participant: Peter, 34, London
Occupation Former government employee, now a learner studying public health
Voting record Supported Green recently (also a affiliate of the party); previously Labour Party. Describes himself as “left, and internationalist rather than patriotic”
Interesting fact A drawing of a tea cup Peter did as a child was once displayed in the National Gallery of Ireland
Second Diner: Akshat, 43, from Harrow
Occupation Risk analyst in the infrastructure industry
Political history Originally from India, he has resided in the United Kingdom for half a decade, and voted Conservative. Describes himself as “somewhat right of centre”
Amuse bouche He taught himself to read and write the Urdu language. “It has no practical use for me, I simply found it intriguing”
Initial impressions
The first participant Over the last two decades, I’ve lived and worked in the Middle East, East Asia, the US. The issues we discussed are focused on Britain, but they are also global, because people's lives more or less follows the same curve across the world. I was expecting someone very liberal, but he was quite measured – we engaged in a productive, logical conversation. I drank beer, Peter had mojitos.
The second participant We split starters – fishy spring rolls, steamed buns, daikon cakes with beansprouts, which were excellent. 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 have resided in the United States and the Iberian Peninsula. We bonded over our love of London.
The big beef
The first participant I view migration like adding salt to a dish. When you add a little bit, the dish tastes wonderful. Add too little or too much and the meal is insipid or overly seasoned.
Peter Akshat had a metaphor about seasoning. It would be odd to exist if the state was selecting some ideal ethnic makeup of the nation.
The first participant There are, sadly, individuals fleeing persecution, but many people coming to the United Kingdom are economic migrants who do not necessarily contribute much and can burden the welfare system. Nobody forces you to move to a different nation for opportunity, so you should only go if you are able to support yourself and your relatives.
The second participant We got lost 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. No process is guaranteed. The climate has been unwelcoming since Theresa May, visa fees are quite expensive, you pay an NHS surcharge, eligibility for support is restricted. The red carpet isn’t rolled out for anybody. And concerning the new policies, whereby family reunification is restricted, it’s incredible to say: we want your work, but we reject you as a person. I believe we have to have a certain level of humanity.
Common ground
The first participant Peter questions unregulated markets. So am I, but at the same time, economic growth benefits society and ought to be promoted.
The second participant We each have global outlooks. And we concurred that some parts of the community – politics, the press – benefit from stoking division. We discovered shared understanding in fundamentals and values.
Dessert and debate
Akshat Peter is of the opinion that since the UK benefitted from colonial times, it should pay compensation to those countries. My view is simply: it is unfair to assess history with present day morality; times are different, modern people had no control of events decades or a century 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 Until recently, I don’t think adequate reflection occurred with colonial history. For example, when I first moved to the United Kingdom, people had little knowledge of the Great Famine and the role that imperial rule played in it. I hold that decolonization isn’t just about signing a cheque, it ought to involve examining what went wrong and where we should be now.
Takeaways
Akshat It may not alter the way I think, but I understand his worries. I converse with people regularly whose views are opposite to my own. The goal is uniting people to the same page, in order that all of us can work towards the betterment of the community.
Peter We remained for 150 minutes. He enjoyed a sweet treat and I had some sweet Japanese wine. I didn’t persuade him of any point, but we both enjoyed dinner, so we might become more open to engaging in dialogues with other people in future.
