Occupation Former civil servant, now a student studying community health
Voting record Supported the Green Party recently (also a member of the political group); previously Labour. Describes himself as “progressive, and internationalist rather than patriotic”
Interesting fact A drawing of a tea cup he did as a kid was once displayed in the National Gallery of Ireland
Occupation Risk analyst in the infrastructure industry
Political history Hailing from the Indian subcontinent, he has lived in the UK for half a decade, and voted the Conservative Party. Identifies as “somewhat right of centre”
Amuse bouche He taught himself to read and write the Urdu language. “I have no use for it, I was just fascinated”
The first participant During the past 20 years, I have resided and been employed in Qatar, East Asia, the United States. The issues we discussed are focused on Britain, but they are also universal, because human life largely follows the same curve across the world. I anticipated someone very liberal, but Peter wasn’t all gung ho – we engaged in a good, rational discussion. I had a couple of beers, Peter had mojitos.
Peter We split appetizers – fishy spring rolls, dumplings, radish cakes with sprouts, which were superb. I was a little nervous, as I think Akshat was. Would he criticize me for being a snowflake? We’re both immigrants. I grew up in Dublin; I have resided in the United States and the Iberian Peninsula. We bonded over our affection for London.
The first participant I view migration like sprinkling salt to a dish. With a small amount, the dish is delicious. Add too little or too much and the dish is insipid or overly seasoned.
The second participant He used an analogy regarding salt. It would be odd to exist if the government was selecting some ideal ethnic makeup of the nation.
Akshat There are, sadly, people escaping oppression, but many people arriving in the UK are those seeking better finances who do not necessarily contribute much and can burden the welfare system. No one compels you to go to a different nation for prospects, so you ought to relocate 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 obtain indefinite leave to remain. Nothing is automatic. It’s been a hostile environment for some time, application costs are quite expensive, there is an NHS surcharge, access to benefits is limited. The red carpet isn’t rolled out for anybody. And regarding the recent changes, whereby family reunification is restricted, it is astonishing to state: we desire your labor, but we reject you as a person. I believe we have to have a certain level of compassion.
The first participant Peter’s sceptical of unregulated markets. So am I, but at the same time, economic growth helps communities and ought to be promoted.
The second participant We each have global outlooks. And we concurred that some parts of society – politics, the media – benefit from stoking division. We discovered shared understanding in fundamentals and ethics.
Akshat Peter believes that since the UK benefitted from colonial times, it should pay reparations to affected nations. I simply think: you cannot judge the past with contemporary ethics; eras vary, current society were not responsible of events decades or a century ago. Let’s say the Britain was obliged to repay the Indian nation, it would be a significant sum of funds. Is the UK in a position to do that? No.
Peter In the past, I believe there was much reckoning with the colonial past. For example, when I first moved to the United Kingdom, people weren’t aware of the Irish famine and the part that colonialism played in it. My view is decolonization is not merely about signing a cheque, it ought to involve looking at what went wrong and where we should be now.
The first participant It may not alter the way I think, but I appreciate Peter’s concerns. I talk to individuals regularly with opinions are contrary to mine. The goal is bringing everyone to the common understanding, so that everyone can work towards the betterment of society.
The second participant We were there for two and a half hours. Akshat had dessert and I had a Japanese dessert wine. I didn’t persuade him of any point, but we both enjoyed dinner, so we could hopefully be more open to engaging in dialogues with others in future.
Film critic and industry analyst with a passion for uncovering cinematic trends and storytelling techniques.
