Anna, ‘in her 40s’, Exeter

Occupation Education academic at the University of Exeter

Voting record Sometimes Labour, sometimes Green

Amuse bouche She’s recently started writing pop songs, and got an email from BBC Introducing saying they’d just played her latest on the radio

JJ, 19, Exeter

Occupation Full-time medical sciences student, part-time tennis coach

Voting record Lib Dem

Amuse bouche He runs a free community tennis programme for all ages and abilities to aid social mobility and keep park courts free to access

For starters

Anna I was really excited because I’m a single parent – I don’t normally go out. It was really easy and natural, not a single awkward moment.

JJ We lined up on a few social issues: she high-fived me when I told her I went to a Surfers Against Sewage protest.

Anna The squid in particular was absolutely amazing. For my main, I had the Cornish market fish on beans, and for dessert I had Eton mess, which they paired with a dessert wine – and we shared a cheese board. I can’t remember the last time I had such a good meal.

JJ My starter was so good I don’t think I can ever eat asparagus again. Then I had amazing prosecco-battered fish and triple-cooked chips with crushed peas. And the matcha chocolate cremeux for dessert.

The big beef

Anna We agreed that King Charles seems to be doing a good job, but I don’t think that makes the system OK. I’m from Germany originally, and the hard-won lesson from the Third Reich was not to centre institutional continuity around particular individuals.

JJ I would just hate the idea of a President Blair or President Truss. Whereas we were all rooting for King Charles to put Trump in his place and exercise the soft diplomacy that he’s always been good at. I don’t think a president would have the same effect.

Anna I think Trump shows up the risks we run with the monarchy – it’s a test for whether the checks and balances work in the current circumstances. Does Britain have the checks and balances to withstand a rogue player?

JJ I have fond memories of my sixth birthday, because we had a big street party for the diamond jubilee. There’s something about that togetherness that we only get with the monarchy.

Sharing plate

Anna He mentioned that the hard left French politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon once proposed a policy of 100% income tax over €400,000 (£350,000). I said I’m totally in favour of that, but think the threshold should be lower. Nobody should earn more than £200,000.

JJ I don’t agree with extremes, of wealth or of poverty. An income cap that low is going to stifle investment into the country. People won’t want to live here if they can’t have their well-paid corporate jobs compared with other countries. And how effective is an income cap when the super rich just take their money through capital gains, dividends and assets?

For afters

Anna I don’t think prison is the right response to nonviolent offences. For me, the question is: what is it you want to achieve, and is prison the pathway to achieving that? Not having a TV licence continues to be a criminal offence disproportionally affecting women, and not paying the fine can lead to imprisonment. Why can Angela Rayner say non-payment of a £40,000 tax bill was a mistake and continue her political career while a single mum not paying her TV licence goes to prison?

JJ I agree people shouldn’t go to prison for small things like not paying the TV licence, but with something like Palestine Action it’s difficult, because they are doing wrong things. If they commit criminal damage they should go to prison. But we shouldn’t be imprisoning people for holding up a placard that says, “I support Palestine Action”.

Takeaways

Anna We had a really good discussion. I think it was a lesson for me, that if you put out different points of views, examine them together and are open to hearing the other person’s opinion, it’s really good for changing attitudes.

JJ When you’re breaking bread with someone, the temperature of the discussion doesn’t increase the way it does on social media. If only we could get more people to do it.

Additional reporting: Kitty Drake

Anna and JJ ate at The Galley Restaurant in Topsham, Exeter

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