Jose, 55, Ely, Cambridgeshire
Occupation Jose is not currently working
Voting record A Labour member who has voted for the party all her life
Amuse bouche Jose used to model. And worked as Stephen Hawking’s carer
Olly, 39, Cambridge
Occupation Artist, carer
Voting record Olly is an anarchist – he doesn’t vote because voting endorses the system
Amuse bouche He speaks Japanese fluently. And is learning to make tapestries
For starters
Olly She came in a wheelchair. I thought: this is going to be interesting. My dad, who I care for, is also in a wheelchair. I don’t like it when people jump out of the way or try to help – we talked about that. It was nice to have a chat with someone in a wheelchair who isn’t my dad.
Jose I think he was surprised I was in a wheelchair, and that I wasn’t white. He’s married to a Japanese woman so, you know, he’s not racist … He’s open to other cultures and ways of life.
Olly I had some pasta stuff – Italian obviously. And a fishcake as well … it wasn’t a fishcake, something vegan. It was a nice meal, cheers for that.
Jose I had scallops with pea puree and parsnips, then lamb cutlets with dauphinoise potatoes, then a sticky toffee pudding with white chocolate ice-cream. It was delicious.
The big beef
Olly I wasn’t too fussed about Brexit. That free-market stuff is all about money and infinite growth, all that nonsense. The people who benefit from immigration in the current political system are the people who benefit from cheap labour – that’s what I worry about. But at the same time, I’m an anarchist so I’m not going to say stop them coming. Just to be clear, I am quite fond of lederhosen and waffles, a bit of yodelling, love all that stuff.
Jose I cried when Brexit came through. I believe in open borders. I believe in immigration. Also I feel European. Brexit hasn’t worked, everything is going downhill.
Olly It’s not just the EU. It’s political systems I’m suspicious of, including Brussels and Whitehall. I reject those systems.
Jose I’m interested in politics. I don’t agree with a lot of party politics, the infighting, slagging off and dirty tricks. I don’t agree at all with the government we have at the moment. I think they’re terrible, down on the normal people. But I believe in democracy. He doesn’t believe in any kind of structure. I can see how he got there, because he’s unhappy with everything.
Sharing plate
Jose Statues of people connected to the slave trade should be pulled down, because of what they represent.
Olly Why stop at racism and slavery? Coming to it as an artist, there’s a lot of public art I’d like to see torn down – like that terrible statue of lovers embracing in the Eurostar terminal at St Pancras in London. That’s the first to go. It’s like when your grandmother goes to an art fair in the village hall, brings back a terrible painting of a sad-looking clown and sticks it on the wall.
Jose On taking the knee, I think anything that brings racism to the forefront of people’s minds is a good thing to do, but he said it was an American thing and English people should have their own thing.
Olly I’ve been on BLM marches. I can’t comment on taking the knee because I’m not a person of colour, but from what I’m aware of, the black British experience and the African American experience are very different.
For afters
Jose I think he’s an anti-vaxxer.
Olly I’m not vaccinated. I feel these vaccines are too new. I’d rather think about it for a few years. Every time I see people on TV saying “get vaccinated”, it seems like: “You peasant, get vaccinated, get back to work, for the minimum wage, and have unattainable dreams.”
Jose I did mention that he was a carer, but he said his dad was vaccinated so he thought it was all right.
Takeaways
Olly We were talking for a long time. It was a cool conversation. We weren’t polar opposites.
Jose It was a good experience. I was interested in hearing other people’s views, and other people’s experiences. I don’t think people do that enough – there’s not enough listening going on. I didn’t really know what an anarchist would be like. Now I know!
Additional reporting: Naomi Larsson
• Jose and Olly ate at The Oak Bistro, Cambridge
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