Conversing Over the Gap: A Encounter Among Different Perspectives
Introducing the Participants
One Participant: Peter, 34, from London
Occupation Former civil servant, now a student focusing on public health
Political history Voted Green recently (also a affiliate of the political group); formerly Labour. Identifies as “left, and internationalist instead of nationalist”
Amuse bouche A drawing of a teacup he did as a child was once hung in the Irish National Gallery
Other Participant: Akshat, 43, Harrow
Profession Risk analyst in the infrastructure industry
Voting record Originally from the Indian subcontinent, he has lived in the UK for half a decade, and voted the Conservative Party. Describes himself as “slightly right of centre”
Interesting fact He taught himself to read and write the Urdu language. “I have no use for it, I simply found it intriguing”
For starters
The first participant During the past two decades, I’ve lived and worked in Qatar, East Asia, the US. The topics we discussed are focused on Britain, but they are also universal, because human life more or less evolve similarly wherever it is. I was expecting someone very liberal, but he was quite measured – we engaged in a productive, logical conversation. I had a couple of beers, Peter had mojitos.
The second participant We split starters – seafood rolls, dumplings, 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 each have immigrant backgrounds. My childhood was in Dublin; I’ve lived in the US and the Iberian Peninsula. We bonded over our affection for London.
Key disagreements
Akshat I look at immigration similar to sprinkling salt to a meal. When you add a little bit, the food is delicious. Add too little or too much and the dish is insipid or overly seasoned.
The second participant He used an analogy regarding seasoning. It would be a funny place to be if the government was selecting some preferred demographic of the country.
The first participant There are, sadly, individuals fleeing persecution, but many migrants arriving in the UK are those seeking better finances who do not necessarily add significant value and can weigh on the benefit system. No one compels you to go to a new country for opportunity, so you should only go 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’s like you come over and are employed and then after five years you get permanent citizenship. No process is guaranteed. The climate has been unwelcoming since Theresa May, application costs are quite expensive, you pay an healthcare levy, access to benefits is limited. The red carpet isn’t rolled out for anyone. And concerning the recent changes, whereby family reunification is restricted, it is astonishing to state: we desire your labor, but we don’t want you. I think we must maintain a certain level of compassion.
Sharing plate
The first participant Peter’s sceptical of unregulated markets. I am, too, but simultaneously, wealth creation helps communities and ought to be promoted.
The second participant We’re both internationalist. And we concurred that certain elements of society – politics, the press – benefit from stoking division. We discovered common ground in fundamentals and ethics.
Dessert and debate
The first participant Peter believes that since the United Kingdom benefitted from colonial times, it should pay compensation to those countries. My view is simply: it is unfair to assess the past with contemporary ethics; times are different, current society were not responsible of what happened decades or a century ago. Suppose the Britain was obliged to repay India, it would be a huge amount of funds. Is the UK in a position to manage that? No.
The second participant In the past, I don’t think there was much reckoning with colonial history. As an instance, when I first moved to the UK, the public weren’t aware of the Great Famine and the role that colonialism played in it. My view is decolonisation is not merely about issuing payments, it should be about looking at 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 regularly with opinions are contrary to mine. The goal is uniting people to the same page, in order that all of us can strive for the betterment of society.
Peter We remained for two and a half hours. He enjoyed a sweet treat and I had some sweet Japanese wine. I didn’t persuade him of any point, but we both enjoyed the meal, so we could hopefully be more open to having conversations with others in the coming times.
