Jon, 37, Hailsham, East Sussex
Occupation Programs advisor
Voting file Has voted many alternative methods, together with spoilt ballots
Amuse bouche Additionally makes bespoke barbecues
Nick, 43, Hailsham
Occupation Technical help and software program testing
Voting file Nick is a member of the Labour get together, however votes Lib Dem tactically
Amuse bouche Nick is a bike fanatic who did motocross jumps on grime tracks, earlier than he turned a father
For starters
Jon He’s a very nice man – he walked in smiling.
Nick He jogs my memory of one among my associates – constructive outlook, laid-back.
Jon I had pig cheeks, then steak and chips.
Nick I ate a hummus starter with pitta bread, then I had a vegan sharing dish.
Jon He was humorous – he had a sharing dish however I didn’t wish to share it.
The massive beef
Nick I believe the variations between us stem from the distinction in our personalities. I’m a really cautious particular person, nearly chronically anxious, whereas he appears fairly unfazed by issues. He thinks every little thing will work out in the long run.
Jon Once we talked about resilience, I believe possibly the variations began with actually completely different experiences in school. It’s simply enjoyable, isn’t it? You hang around with your mates and also you end at 3pm – it’s like a dream job.
Nick I obsess over sure issues and the atmosphere is one among them. I mentioned, “I’m actually fairly terrified, for my son, for his future.” By way of views, I’m not far off Extinction Rise up. I’ve a excessive stage of hysteria about this.
Jon I did say to him, “If Insulate Britain lay down in entrance of my truck, they may very well be a velocity bump, for all I care.” I most likely wouldn’t run them over, however I might say, “It’s a must to transfer, I’ve bought a job to do.” You’ll be able to glue your self to one thing, however not within the highway – it simply prices individuals their money and time. I believe he understood – I’m not saying it as a result of I disagree with them, however one of the best ways to get individuals on board is to collaborate.
Nick We’re over 400 components per million of CO2 which is simply unprecedented. I’d like my technology to possibly be a bit extra anxious and depressed, like me.
Jon I’m positive the scientists will provide you with one thing. Fifteen years in the past we didn’t have iPhones. And now they’re in everybody’s pockets.
Sharing plate
Jon I believe everybody ought to pay tax on the identical charge. He did make some very legitimate factors – that when you have been taking much less off the individuals on the prime, you’d be taking extra off individuals on the backside. It did change my view a bit. It may be a bit tougher to implement than I believed.
Nick In speaking to him, I shortly realised he earns much more than me, so clearly he’s paying a bigger share of his revenue in tax, regardless of all of the accountant tips he talked about.
Jon We didn’t really focus on what tax ought to be spent on. I simply had this top-line thought and thought I may most likely work out the element afterward. However speaking to him, it felt like there have been various particulars.
Nick I identified that when you’ve bought somebody on a low-paid job, bringing in 10 grand a yr, they’re inside the private allowance. If all of the sudden you’ve gotten a flat charge of 10-20%, they may very well be shedding £2,000 a yr and that, to somebody who was struggling, can be disastrous.
For afters
Jon It’s not good that many individuals died within the pandemic. However being furloughed allowed me to have two months off to begin my different enterprise. We had a child throughout lockdown; the hardest factor for me was retaining my mom and my mother-in-law away.
Nick I used to be very anxious throughout Covid, following the statistics every single day, and he most likely wasn’t. My cause was that I knew you may have the virus asymptomatically, so I used to be fearful about passing it on to somebody who was susceptible. I believe he simply wished to stay his life and get on with it.
Takeaways
Jon We usually bought on. We’re going to go for a beer sooner or later sooner or later – I took his quantity. We walked again collectively as properly.
Nick He runs a profitable enterprise, he’s very hard-working, he deserves every little thing he will get. However I believe he simply seems at the way it went for him and thinks, “Why can’t different individuals simply be extra like me?”
Extra reporting: Sarah Hooper
Jon and Nick ate at B12 Bar & Kitchen in Hailsham
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