Dining across the divide: ‘He looked like a Green voter. As you get older you realise it’s unicorn politics’ | Life and style
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Henry, 33, Manchester
Occupation Waiter and musician
Voting record Green. He describes himself as “left leaning”
Amuse bouche Jumped into a canal for one of his music videos. In January
Lynn, 61, Bury
Occupation Office management
Voting record Conservative in the UK. Democrat when she lived in the US
Amuse bouche Won the French prize at school, though she’s rubbish at French
For starters
Lynn The restaurant has beautiful views of rolling hills. I had roast chicken and potatoes, panna cotta and a couple of glasses of red wine.
Henry I ordered an old fashioned, and some white wine with the meal. I had a lovely peach salad, then a pizza. I told Lynn I grew up in Dubai, went to a French school, then uni in Paris with my final year in Bristol, which was my first taste of life in the UK.
Lynn Henry looks like a Green voter: flip-flops, pink trousers, bushy beard, earrings. My daughter might have voted Green when she was 16, because you think everything is free, but as you get older you realise someone has to pay. It’s unicorn politics.
Henry Lynn definitely had more facts and figures than I did, and is more opinionated. I’m still building my thoughts and opinions.
The big beef
Lynn I’m a huge proponent of the benefits system for people who need it, but it is exploited. A business owner I know looking for a labourer offered someone £35,000 a year. The guy flat-out said, “Sorry mate, with my housing benefit, my child benefit and everything else, that’s not worth me getting out of bed for.” There’s something seriously wrong with that.
Henry I work in a restaurant, but when my hours go down I reapply for universal credit. I looked for other jobs, but ultimately didn’t find anything. Along with work, time for yourself and socialising with friends and family are the cornerstones of living. Without that, I wouldn’t have made my album, which is my passion.
Lynn I was raised on a poor council estate, and everybody worked and everybody’s gardens were nice. Go to those estates now and there’s no pride. People scream poverty, but they’ve got new iPhones, Sky TV, they’re getting their nails done. How can it be that you can’t afford to feed your children if you’re getting all that? The problem with Britain today is that it’s more about quality of life than working really hard, and Henry is part of that.
Henry I’m more likely to volunteer, help out a community, if I’m in a good place. Having a social life is also important to maintain mental health. I did feel there was a generational difference between us. I don’t know if it’s the optimism of youth.
Sharing plate
Lynn We agreed politicians need to stop chasing votes and stand up for what they believe in. And there needs to be more pride in the country. Look at Europe: people there are clearing the streets. We have none of that here.
Henry There can be a lack of community. And I do agree cheating the system isn’t right. On immigration, Lynn did somewhat sway me that there might be a physical limit to the number of people we can take in.
For afters
Lynn I don’t agree with the full face coverings for Muslim women. It stops integration. How is it OK that someone on a motorcycle has to take off their helmet in a petrol station because you have to be able to see their face, but then you make different rules for different people? If you’re coming to a country, you have to assimilate.
Henry You should respect the culture of where you move to, but it doesn’t mean you have to ditch your own. Whether women should cover up is a different question, but they’re not a threat. Maybe because of where I grew up, I’m more comfortable around Muslims in full veils than a group of British lads in hoodies and tracksuits.
Takeaways
Lynn Henry’s lovely. He lives in an idealistic world and wouldn’t it be lovely if we could all live there? I don’t agree with his politics, but it’s good to hear other people’s points of view. We had a hug and went our separate ways.
Henry Lynn might have got more out of it if I’d had more facts, more debating power. There were a couple of times it got a bit animated – I said something and she repeated it, saying, “Are you serious?” But we had a nice dinner and a nice chat. A good, one-off experience.
Additional reporting: Kitty Drake
Lynn and Henry ate at Tre Ciccio in Ramsbottom, Bury
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