Voting record Either Green or Labour
Amuse bouche Plays chess most days, usually online, although has gone to some meet-ups in real life
John, 71, Moffat
Occupation Retired, now renovating a derelict dump of a 17th-century building
Voting record In local elections will vote for the best candidate; nationally, tends to vote Conservative, though wanted to “kick them up the butt” this year
Amuse bouche Has written a novel about the climate crisis and impending world war
For starters
John He was an empathic, earnest, philosophically minded young man.
Joshua He seemed to be looking forward to discussing hot-button topics.
John We both started off with tempura and didn’t finish it.
Joshua Then I had the roast with all the trimmings.
The big beef
John I’m anti-slavery and think we should hand out aid to people, but reparations are a bridge too far. The problems I have with it are: who are we giving reparations to? Is it places like Bermuda and Jamaica, which are the product of slavery? Or is it the African homelands from where the individuals were forcibly removed? Many of those governments are corrupt, so the reparations would end up in Swiss bank accounts anyway.
Joshua I tried to push John on reparations, but I didn’t get very far. I said that there are a lot of questions about what reparations would look like: we can conceptualise them as setting up networks of aid; as infrastructure projects, education, all sorts of things. To a large extent, these are things that the UK is already doing.
John At what point in history do we stop? Do we say 800 years ago is too long, 250 years ago – do those need reparations? Josh is more empathic than I am, and felt that as a society we should take more responsibility.
Joshua He seemed to be insistent that we don’t owe anything to people who the UK has wronged in the past. John felt that the UK was “flat broke” and couldn’t afford to do anything, which I found dubious.
Sharing plate
Joshua We agreed immediately that the climate crisis was existentially worrying. He seemed to have a real appreciation for nature and wildlife, and conservation. We both felt pessimistic, given recent negotiations at Cop 29.
John Chums and family have laughed at me for years, because I’ve been worrying about the collapse of the Gulf Stream. I’ve noticed articles mentioning it recently. That has always been my main worry. And second: the mass migrations of millions of people. Josh and I agreed that the planet would adapt, but it would result in water wars.
For afters
John On transgender issues, I found his responses to be emotional rather than philosophical. I’m team JK Rowling. I don’t believe in self-identification for people who don’t want to physically transition.
Joshua He had a lot of doubts about the validity of trans identities. It felt a bit ignorant and disrespectful, though I don’t think he intended to be hurtful. John emphasised that he felt it was a good quality to be open-minded, and I think in some ways he was. But I didn’t feel as if he was familiar with a lot of other philosophical and scientific understandings of trans identities.
John Females transitioning to males, to my mind, don’t seem to pose any problem for society at all. But the other way round, women fear male violence. Men don’t fear female violence. So the whole issue of changing rooms, women’s sports, women’s spaces, women’s safety, women’s rights hasn’t been considered at all.
Takeaways
John I would happily welcome Josh into my family. His politics were different from mine, but that’s neither here nor there.
Joshua We did part on good terms. John surprised me in a few ways. He had some Daily Mail-esque takes on things, but his opinions were a mixed bag.
Additional reporting: Kitty Drake
• John and Joshua ate at The Bon Vivant in Edinburgh. Want to meet someone from across the divide? Find out how to take part