David, a 70-year-old retired modern foreign languages tutor from York, and Janus, a 42-year-old volunteer hospital radio DJ from South Yorkshire, met for dinner at Piccolino in Sheffield as part of the Dining across the divide series. Despite their different political affiliations — David mostly votes Labour, while Janus votes English Democrats — they found common ground on several issues.
First impressions and the meal
David admitted he was initially apprehensive. “I had an idea he was a Tommy Robinson fan and was thinking, ‘Oh my God,’ but he was the most gentle, non-confrontational chap you can imagine.” Janus, on the other hand, said he wasn’t nervous and felt they “got on well and agreed on almost everything.” The meal included fritto misto, pasta, garlic bread, olives, and a shared bottle of red wine, with no dessert.
The flag debate
The main point of contention was the display of the English flag. David expressed strong feelings: “I’m very, very affronted by the misuse of the English flag. It’s been taken over by thugs. The people who are doing the flagging in York were threatening old ladies who were criticising them.” He added that flags were hung near York University to intimidate foreign students. Janus disagreed: “I don’t think hanging flags is intimidating and anyone getting offended is being stupid, really. This is England — putting out the cross of St George or the union jack should be normal.”
Patriotism and English parliament
David defined patriotism as “somebody who lives by the law, somebody who helps their neighbours, somebody who’s basically a good egg,” not “messing about with flags.” Janus noted that in the US and Spain, flags are displayed more frequently, but he believes flags should come out only on special days. They also discussed the need for an English parliament. Janus said, “I’m an English Democrat because an English parliament for matters concerning only England was the party’s original main policy. Now, instead, they talk too much about immigration and small boats; they’re just looking too much like other rightwing parties.” David countered that Westminster is already English-centric.
Digital exclusion
The conversation turned to digital literacy. David, who considered himself an IT guru, was surprised by Janus’s perspective: “Talking to Janus really revealed to me that if you’re living on minimum wage or state top-ups, the digital world can be extremely difficult to enter.” Janus highlighted that many jobs require IT skills, leaving behind those who are not computer literate. He advocated for a return to traditional methods: “textbooks, notebooks, handwriting your own work.”
Takeaways
David reflected on the contrast between their worlds: “It really made me think about our contrasting worlds of advantage and disadvantage. If you come from a deprived area, I can see where thoughts of supporting radical parties might come from. It’s your last refuge.” Janus enjoyed the meeting: “We had a good laugh and I enjoyed meeting someone who, even if we had opposing views, cared about a lot of the same things as me. I’d be happy to do that again.”
