silverguide.site –

Joe, 41, Trafford, Greater Manchester

Occupation Press officer at a university

Voting record Historically, under Jeremy Corbyn, Labour; is a Green member now but was planning to vote Labour in the mayoral election

Amuse bouche Long-distance cycle touring is Joe’s big thing: he has been all over Europe solo, staying with families, trying to speak the languages, embedding himself with local people

Keith, 89, Cheshire

Occupation Retired – used to be a journalist, moved to Liverpool to edit a shipping newspaper and ended up owning it

Voting record Keith normally votes Labour. There was one occasion when he voted Conservative, for Margaret Thatcher

Amuse bouche Keith once went to Rio de Janeiro for the day. He was producing a magazine for British Airways Cargo and they wanted to promote the route to São Paulo

For starters

Joe I’d formed a view of what his character might be but he was really warm and friendly. It was like two old friends. It was just so comfortable.

Keith The first thing he said was, “Are you as nervous as I am?” I said I wasn’t nervous at all. I’m used to talking to people and it didn’t bother me.

Joe I had the prosciutto and melon, then chicken in breadcrumbs.

Keith I started with calamari, then gnocchi with prawns.

The big beef

Joe He was very set on the idea that the EU is anti-democratic. The arguments I had about the damage that leaving the EU has done to the British economy – how it has destroyed exports and left us isolated – he agreed with. But none of it mattered to him. He was a Brexiter from quite a leftwing perspective. I thought he was going to be quite “stop the boats, bring up the drawbridge”, but he wasn’t like that at all.

Keith I voted for Brexit for independence, not for the economy, although the economy could have been handled better by the prime ministers since. You had Theresa May – who was, I believe, a remainer at heart – trying to cobble together some sort of deal that looked like Brexit but wasn’t. Both she and Boris Johnson should share the blame because they let it drag on for so long. You should never be governed by people you can’t vote out of office.

Joe He said Nigel Farage sometimes says things that he agrees with – principally stuff about the European superstate. When he was talking about that, you couldn’t put a cigarette paper between him and Farage. But at the same time, he’s really anti-Trump, and really anti the rightwing position on migrants.

Keith There are 4,000 different edicts in the EU that we should have got rid of. I don’t feel we’ve taken advantage economically of the opportunities. Joe sort of saw that, but he believes too many small companies have lost business. I did point out that traders should have looked elsewhere for business. We were the sixth largest trading nation in the world before and we still are.

Sharing plate

Joe On the NHS, I don’t think we were miles apart. I’ve worked in the NHS in the past; the right wing dresses up overspending as back office stuff and equality and diversity, but all of that is a tiny drop in the ocean compared with PFI.

Keith He saw how the NHS is paying hundreds of millions in interest on PFI payments. PFI has been a bit of a disaster, but I’d be very open to other ways of bringing in private money.

For afters

Joe Drilling in the North Sea won’t make us more resilient as a country because it has all got to be sold on the international markets anyway. Is there any point doing damage to the environment when it won’t benefit British consumers? We could be spending that money and energy building renewable capacity.

Keith I’m all for going to renewables, I’m all for cutting pollution. I agree with all that, but I just don’t think we need to do it as quickly as people like Ed Miliband want us to. It’s impoverishing the country, we’re losing industry.

Takeaways

Joe As I was driving away, I did think I should have taken his email address, so we could have kept in touch.

Keith The only problem I was left with was that I’m never going to see him or hear from him again. He’s a long way away to go out for a casual drink.

Additional reporting: Kitty Drake

• Joe and Keith ate at La Cantina in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire

Want to meet someone from across the divide? Find out how to take part