Wandsworth shows politics is now all about education

Wandsworth, London

I’m writing this in Labour-controlled Wandsworth, my leafy bit of south London. More precisely, I’m writing it sitting outside the sort of coffee shop where the drinks come in jam jars and everyone has a beard.

I’d also bet that every one of the 30-odd people here – staff and customers – has at least one university degree. In the 20 or so years I’ve lived in London, Wandsworth has gone from being a slightly drab place to the sort of area where bright young (and middle-aged) things with high incomes come to live and play.

The two (bearded) twenty-something men on the table next to me are a case in point. They are noting the election result with mild interest before getting back to planning a uni-reunion weekend and comparing notes on the banks they work for.

Wandsworth going red is one of the election results that look like offering material to people who enjoy a narrative of ‘London vs England’.