🔗 Share this article Dining Across the Gap: A Encounter Among Different Perspectives Introducing the Participants First Diner: Peter, 34, from London Profession Former civil servant, now a learner focusing on community health Political history Supported Green recently (and a member of the party); formerly Labour. Identifies as “progressive, and internationalist instead of nationalist” Amuse bouche A sketch of a teacup Peter created as a kid was once hung in the Irish National Gallery Other Diner: Akshat, 43, from Harrow Occupation Risk manager in the infrastructure industry Voting record Originally from the Indian subcontinent, Akshat has resided in the UK for half a decade, and supported Conservative. Describes himself as “slightly moderate right” Amuse bouche Akshat taught himself to understand the Urdu language. “I have no use for it, I simply found it intriguing” For starters Akshat During the past 20 years, I’ve lived and worked in Qatar, East Asia, the United States. The issues Peter and I talked about are UK-centric, but they are also global, because human life largely follows the same curve across the world. I was expecting someone very liberal, but he was quite measured – we had a productive, logical conversation. 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 Akshat was. Would he criticize me for my sensitivity? We’re both immigrants. My childhood was in Dublin; I have resided in the US and Spain. We connected through our love of the capital. Key disagreements Akshat I look at migration similar to sprinkling salt to a dish. With a small amount, the dish is delicious. Use too little or too much and the dish is either too bland or too salty. The second participant He had a metaphor about salt. It would be a funny place to exist if the government was selecting some ideal ethnic makeup of the nation. The first participant There are, sadly, individuals escaping oppression, but many people coming to the United Kingdom are economic migrants who do not necessarily contribute much and can burden the benefit system. Nobody forces you to move to a different nation for opportunity, so you ought to relocate if you can take care of yourself and your relatives. The second participant We became confused with some of the facts. In my view it is the case that you come over and work and then after five years you obtain permanent citizenship. Nothing is automatic. It’s been a hostile environment for some time, application costs are really high, you pay an NHS surcharge, access to benefits is limited. There is no special treatment for anybody. And regarding the new policies, whereby family reunification is restricted, it’s incredible to say: we want your work, but we don’t want you. I think we have to have a certain level of compassion. Sharing plate The first participant Peter questions unregulated markets. I am, too, but simultaneously, economic growth benefits society and ought to be promoted. Peter We each have global outlooks. And we agreed that some parts of the community – government, the media – benefit from stoking division. We discovered shared understanding in basic principles and ethics. For afters Akshat Peter believes that because the United Kingdom profited from colonial times, it should pay reparations to affected nations. I simply think: you cannot judge the past with present day morality; eras vary, current society were not responsible of events 50 or 100 years ago. Let’s say the Britain was obliged to repay the Indian nation, it would be a significant sum of money. Is Britain able to do that? Certainly not. Peter Until recently, I don’t think there was much reckoning with the colonial past. For example, when I first moved to the United Kingdom, the public had little knowledge of the Great Famine and the part that colonialism played in it. I hold that decolonisation isn’t just about issuing payments, it ought to involve looking at past errors and where we should be now. Final thoughts Akshat It may not alter the way I think, but I understand his worries. I talk to people every day whose views are contrary to my own. The goal is uniting people to the same page, in order that all of us can strive for the improvement of society. The second participant We were there for two and a half hours. He enjoyed a sweet treat and I had a Japanese dessert wine. I did not convince him of anything, but we both enjoyed dinner, so we could hopefully be more open to engaging in dialogues with other people in future.