Ada & Jon change view of each other after conversation
ON paper, they have little in common. Born 50 years apart, one is a Remainer and Corbynista student from a big city, the other a gran from a small town who votes Tory and cannot wait to leave the European Union.
Retired nurse Ada Pratt, 72, and student Jon Lyons Connor, 22, were the first ever participants of our new project Britain Talks.
After two chats, neither Ada or Jon had changed their views about Brexit or who is best running the country. But they had changed their views about each other.
“I realise now, you’re not just one of the 17.4 million people who voted Leave, you’re a real person,” Jon, who lives in Manchester’s hip Northern Quarter, tells Ada.
“You care about this country. People say older people backed Leave, they’ve messed things up. But you did it for your grandchildren, to make things better.”
Ada, who lives in a neat terrace in Littleborough, near Rochdale, Greater Manchester, admits she enjoyed spending time with Jon.
“It’s nice to meet a young person willing to listen to some old lady talking,” she says. “It’s been nice to disagree without arguing.
It’s hard to have a sensible conversation since the vote.”
Born in Dundee, before moving to Littleborough as a young nurse, Ada voted for Brexit because she believes it is best for the NHS, in which she worked for
40 years. She also worries about the EU’s lack of accountability, the power of the European Courts and a loss of sovereignty. And she believes services in her town are being stretched by immigration, and feels patronised by anyone who writes Brexiteers off as ill-informed or racist. Originally from Newton Heath, north Manchester, Jon is the son of a delivery driver and a bakery assistant.
The politics student at Salford University is Manchester’s youngest Labour councillor, and a student union officer.
Jon sees the positive effect of EU membership through the redevelopment and investment surrounding his rented flat. He worries life will get even tougher for his community and generation after Brexit. During the referendum campaign, he was shocked at the division, even watching rival campaigners brawl in the street. The things Jon and Ada have in common are obvious from the outset. Ada is Couple chat over a brew wearing a bee-themed scarf to commemorate the Manchester arena attack, while Jon has a bee tattoo on his wrist.
Both describe themselves as “ordinary, working class people” trying to make sense of an extraordinary situation. During their meetings, they also discovered they shared a love of Netflix crime dramas, takeaways, pride in the NHS and in their families.
Both are prudent and house-proud with busy, sociable lives, spending days and nights helping others. Ada volunteers with homeless people and Jon works hard as a councillor to support local people.
“We have quite a lot in common,” Jon says. “We both care about where we live and want the best for our city and country, we just have different ideas about what happens next. I share some of the pride Ada has about where she’s from. It’s just that for me, it’s about being a Mancunian, then British, then European.”
The pair will never agree on whether or not we should leave the EU, but gain a deeper understanding of each other’s points of view and a mutual respect.
“I know why you voted how you did, I know where your ideas were coming from,” Ada tells Jon. “I’ve learned more about where EU money goes, what it does in the city, no one ever really said that before. I’m shocked at how expensive it is to live in Manchester.
“Jon is a lovely person. He has voted based on what he believes in, he’s done the research, he really has. But I don’t think that much will change when we’re out, we will adapt, we’ll find ways to do things like we did before we joined. I remember that. Jon doesn’t. I hope I’ve reassured him it will be okay.”