Conversing Across the Gap: An Meeting Between Opposing Viewpoints
Introducing the Participants
First Participant: Peter, 34, from London
Occupation Ex- civil servant, now a student studying public health
Voting record Supported the Green Party recently (also a member of the political group); formerly Labour Party. Identifies as “progressive, and globalist rather than patriotic”
Amuse bouche A sketch of a teacup Peter did as a kid was once displayed in the Irish National Gallery
Second Participant: Akshat, 43, Harrow
Occupation Risk analyst in the infrastructure industry
Voting record Hailing from India, he has lived in the UK for half a decade, and supported the Conservative Party. Describes himself as “slightly moderate right”
Interesting fact Akshat self-learned to understand Urdu. “It has no practical use for me, I was just fascinated”
For starters
The first participant During the past two decades, I have resided and been employed in the Middle East, East Asia, the US. The issues we discussed are UK-centric, but they are also universal, because people's lives largely follows the same curve across the world. I anticipated someone very liberal, but he was quite measured – we had a good, rational discussion. I had a couple of beers, he opted for mojitos.
The second participant We shared appetizers – fishy spring rolls, dumplings, daikon cakes with beansprouts, which were excellent. I was a little nervous, as I believe he was too. Was he going to attack me for my sensitivity? We’re both immigrants. My childhood was in Dublin; I have resided in the US and the Iberian Peninsula. We bonded over our affection for the capital.
Key disagreements
The first participant I look at immigration like adding salt to a meal. With a small amount, the dish is delicious. Add too little or too much and the dish is insipid or overly seasoned.
Peter Akshat had a metaphor regarding seasoning. It would be a funny place to exist if the state was selecting some preferred demographic of the country.
The first participant There are, unfortunately, individuals fleeing persecution, but many migrants coming to the United Kingdom are economic migrants who may not contribute much and can burden the benefit system. Nobody forces you to move to a different nation for prospects, so you ought to relocate if you can take care of yourself and your relatives.
Peter We got lost with some of the facts. I don’t think it’s like you come over and are employed and then following a half-decade you get indefinite leave to remain. 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. The red carpet isn’t rolled out for anybody. And regarding 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 certain level of humanity.
Sharing plate
The first participant Peter’s sceptical of unchecked capitalism. So am I, but simultaneously, wealth creation helps communities and should be encouraged.
Peter We each have global outlooks. And we concurred that certain elements of the community – government, the media – thrive off creating conflict. We discovered shared understanding in basic principles and ethics.
Dessert and debate
The first participant Peter believes that since the United Kingdom profited from colonial times, it should pay reparations to affected nations. My view is simply: it is unfair to assess history with present day morality; eras vary, modern people were not responsible of events decades or a century ago. Let’s say the UK had to compensate India, it would be a significant sum of funds. Is Britain able to do that? No.
The second participant In the past, I believe there was much reckoning with the colonial past. For example, when I first moved to the UK, the public weren’t aware of the Great Famine and the role that colonialism played in it. I hold that decolonization is not merely about issuing payments, it ought to involve looking at what went wrong and our current responsibilities.
Takeaways
Akshat It won’t change the my perspective, but I appreciate Peter’s concerns. I converse with individuals regularly with opinions are contrary to my own. It’s about bringing everyone to the common understanding, so that everyone can work towards the betterment of the community.
The second participant We were there for 150 minutes. He enjoyed a sweet treat and I drank some sweet Japanese wine. I did not convince him of any point, but we each liked dinner, so we could hopefully be more receptive to having conversations with others in the coming times.
