বিভাগ জুড়ে খাদ্য: “আমি কিছু বামপন্থী, পুঁজিবাদবিরোধী, সমাজতান্ত্রিক অভিভাবকদের প্রত্যাশা করছিলাম”
Celestino, 55, Bristol
Occupation: Retired
Voting Record: Celestino, an American, considers himself a “centrist.” In 2020 he voted for Biden, in 2024 for Trump. In Great Britain, he has voted in local elections, most recently for Conservative Amuse-Bouche.
Before moving to England, Celestino lived in South Korea, where he learned to paraglide. ‘I spent my weekends flying like a bird’
Miles, 39, Bristol
Occupation: Accountant/Lumberjack
Voting Record: Miles describes himself as ‘left-wing and very liberal’. He recently voted for the Greens, though he still likes Jack Polanski Amuse-Bouche Miles co-owns a sawmill in Wales and co-owns softwood, which is currently being cut down and restored to a deciduous forest.
Celestino To start, I had spring rolls and we both had fish. Excellent place. Miles The fish was delicious. There was a cooking class going on which was interesting.
Celestino My family, originally from Portugal, came to America when I was three. We became US citizens, although we always kept Portuguese citizenship. I’m now settled in the UK, having lived here for five years.
Miles I’m from Cornwall, I have friends in Devon – so I know there’s a competition about how to make scones, cream and jam.
Miles We were having a friendly chat and then Celestino suddenly exclaimed: OK, we’re here to debate. Almost like you see boxers joking around and suddenly they say, OK, we’re here to fight. If he’s a moderate, he’s an American centrist; their centre is not quite the same as ours.
Celestino’s Big Beef Last year I visited my family in New Jersey, a working-class state. For every house with a Biden sign, there were two or three with a Trump sign. Kamala Harris didn’t impress me and I saw the mess that happened at the border. My cousin complained that the school is now full of immigrant children.
Miles I asked, “What about the farmers who didn’t sell a soybean to China because of the trade war?” In some states, two-thirds of the workforce are immigrants. Farmers voted for Trump for a variety of reasons, but wrecking the economy wasn’t one of them.
Celestino Why the extreme left hates him. If Trump announced he’d cured cancer, the left would complain that he was taking credit away from scientists. Agricultural workers should be given work visas, maybe for two years.
Miles Trump doesn’t think long term, he doesn’t think about the country. And now he seems to be losing it, sometimes barely following one thought. There are genuine concerns about his ability to lead the country. Skip past newsletter promotions. Sign up for Inside Saturday. The only way to get a look behind the scenes of Saturday’s paper.
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After the Celestino newsletter promotion, I expected some left-wing, anti-capitalist, socialist Guardians to talk about the ills of late capitalism. But no. We agreed that financial literacy isn’t taught in this country or in the US. I think the government or the banks are doing it on purpose. We agreed about the benefits of investing.
Miles We believe that children should be given age-appropriate financial education so they understand how things work and don’t fall for scams.
Finally, Celestino We talked about ICE agents chasing illegal immigrants: if you break into a house then you are a squatter; they are squatters in America. My family were immigrants. My mother loves Portugal, but America gave her everything. We followed the rules, waited our turn – others should do the same.
Miles The argument that you have to have rules and be able to enforce them is not totally wrong – but Trump doesn’t follow them. The problem with ICE is that they don’t target illegal immigrants, they target anyone who isn’t white and use brutal tactics. They just announced $45 billion to build detention centres and it makes you wonder what they’ll be used for in the future.
TakeawayCelestino It was great fun. I think if Miles hadn’t liked me, we’d just have eaten, discussed this and that and then left. But we talked until he had to go and look after his son. I think we connected.
Miles Having a second meeting is a good idea because often you get so involved in the conversation you don’t really think about it. For example, I didn’t really challenge Celestino because he saw two different sides of the story about following the rules. But I really liked it.
Extra coverage: Kitty Drake Celestino and Miles ate at The Saigon Kitchen in Bristol.
Want to meet someone across the divide? Find out how to take part (TagsToTranslate)বাংলাদেশ(T)খবর
প্রকাশিত: 2025-11-09 18:00:00
উৎস: www.theguardian.com
