Alex, 29, Bristol
Occupation Conference producer
Voting record Alex, who was born in Vienna and grew up in Warsaw, votes Labour in Poland by postal vote. She cannot yet vote in the UK, where she has lived since 2013
Amuse bouche Alex used to live in Derby, and appeared in the local paper in her first month in the city, in a piece about street fashion
Alison, 74, Bristol
Occupation Retired biology teacher, lecturer, women’s rights activist
Voting record Generally Labour, but in recent local elections Alison voted Tory for the first time, for the police and crime commissioner
Amuse bouche Alison has three children with three different men. “My daughter’s rebellion was to marry and have three children with one man!”
For starters
Alison If you take the risk versus the benefits for vaccinating children, the risk is way too high. For the first time, we are asking children to subject themselves to a possible danger in order to protect adults. All the other vaccinations are about protecting the children themselves.
Alex I don’t have strong opinions about vaccinating children – I don’t have any of my own. My partner’s kids, who are 12 and 14, are getting vaccinated because they want to.
The big beef
Alison I was talking about immigration, how it must have been very hard for some of these little towns in eastern England, to find within 10 years that a child is in an extremely small minority of native English speakers in their class. She got that.
Alex I was surprised by her perspective around eastern European immigration, because in other respects she seemed to be so open-minded. I didn’t feel offended on the part of my brethren. It was more surprise, because she seemed to be such a logical person – she voted to stay in.
Alison This is a very small island and I just see the housing creeping in, greenfield sites being covered up – we’ve got a housing crisis. We talked about the way Britain creams off often highly qualified people. I mean, why are Nigerian nurses working here, when they are needed in Nigeria?
Alex The way I approach it is that Britain, having been a colonial power, has had Windrush, plus Pakistani and Indian migration. Then there was European migration, but you can’t tell that they’re not from here until they start talking. Is it that there seems to be some deceit there that rubs people up the wrong way? Alison thought that was an interesting perspective.
Sharing plate
Alison The statue of Edward Colston should have been removed, but it was unfortunate in the way it was done.
Alex I responded to a survey and said we should keep it in a museum. I don’t condone renaming everything that has a slave owner’s name attached to it, but it’s not my bone to pick and not my heritage. I would rather argue about the role of the British in the second world war, having come from a country that might not have been invaded if different decisions were made at the time.
Alison Bristolians still talk about the Colston Hall, renamed last year. They should have information in the hall to explain who Colston was.
For afters
Alison We talked a bit about how disgusting men’s toilets are but, for a lot of women, this is one of the issues [of the trans debate]. When you have a child in a buggy, mixed toilets – with single enclosed cubicles – are rubbish.
Alex I didn’t disagree.
Alison Of course trans people can exist. But I’m not willing to say trans women; I will say trans-identified men.
Alex It’s undoubtedly difficult to be trans in this world – you are likely to be attacked for it. For me, the conversation that has built up around it in the media is disproportionate to what people experience in their life – though in no way do I want to minimise the experience of trans people.
Takeaways
Alex It was a perfect illustration of someone who doesn’t think there should be eastern European immigration connecting with someone nearly three times younger and an eastern European immigrant. Everything is possible if you give each other a chance.
Alison She was lovely, but then I never don’t get on with women. I might adopt her, although she does have a mother in Poland.
Additional reporting: Naomi Larsson
• Alex and Alison ate at Box-E, Bristol
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