Islington is a borough in northeast London — a part of the city with its own local council. In British newspapers it is also a shorthand. People talk about “Islington” as a place full of comfortable, left-wing, middle-class people who work in television, radio, or papers. “The Islington set” is often said with a raised eyebrow: trendy, keen on fairness in talk, living in nice city homes. Though actually, many people who live there are not like that at all; it is a ready-made picture, and sometimes a cheap joke. For a learner, first it is a place name. The extra flavour matters when you read British comment and politics.