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Increasingly with the perceived rise in crime the rich are turning to private security. But are the companies they turn to doing anything more than a glorified burglar alarm or are they merely fleecing the rich and capitalising on the threat of crime.

The papers are always filled with stories about crime. And we’re completely obsessed with reading about crime. Rape, murder and being stabbed could happen to anyone in our society of fear.

To counter this, private security firms have offered to patrol affluent area in exchange for cash, taking thousands to protect the people and their properties.

They drive around in cars done up to look like police cars and often have guard dogs. They drive around in the dead of night supposedly providing a deterant to criminals.

Though in reality they can’t do anything. It’s all for show. The dogs which bark fiercely are restrained and if they were to savage someone the security firms would be sued. And they wouldn’t like that much. The private security industry is worth an estimated 4.3 Billion in the UK alone.

They basically provide the same role as a good Samaritan as all they are told to do is call the police if they see anything happening. And we all know how long it takes for them to respond. So unless you have a few extra grand to splash there isn’t much point to the private security firms.

It seems that not a week goes by that I don’t receive an invitation to a masquerade ball. Or more normally just a themed night at a club. Last night was the first one I was actually excited to go to. The Last Tuesday Society put on a masquerade ball at the V&A t celebrate the opening of a new gallery. I normally would never go as by the very nature of them, they are always doomed to failure.

This is for a number of reasons. Namely that there is a massive air of expectation that we all have and as has been previously written about here, always sets a night up for a fall. When people go to these balls they want to live the dream of Eyes Wide Shut or the party in Gossip Girl. But in reality you never, ever, get that.

You arrive at one of these things in masks or whatever and the immediate thing that you notice is that most of the attendees aren’t wearing masks. Even the best of parties see a mediocre percentage of people in masks. And that kind of spoils it for everyone. It’s not really a masked party if people aren’t in masks.

Another annoying thing about it, especially last night at the V&A was the amount of people taking photos. It felt more like being on the set of a shoot than at a party and the people who had got into were permanently harassed by people with cameras.

So what was last night like overall? Surely great party people dressed to the hilt would bring about a masked renaissance. Well, no. To put it simply. It suffered the same problems as all the other masked balls despite being set in the beautiful Victoria and Albert Museum. Plus there were only 2 bars for about 2000 people so you had to queue to get drunk. It comes down to the fact that masked balls are balls.

Around London, if you look pretty carefully you’ll notice disused stations here and there. They are normally unmistakeable with their red tiles and some even retain their station names. There are 28 permanently closed stations in London and other ones that are also closed.

The reasons for the closures are pretty varied, some were severed when the lines were redirected and other were closed as they weren’t used enough.

The most famous of the disused stations is Aldwych tube station. Famous because it’s used for filming television and movies. Quite a few films have been filmed in the station including:

Battle of Britain (1969)
Death Line (1972) – standing in for the interior of Russell Square tube station (exteriors used the real station).
Ghost Story (1974)
The Kinks video clip “Do It Again” (1985)
Superman IV: The Quest For Peace (1986)
The Krays (1990)
Patriot Games (1992)
The Line, the Cross and the Curve (1993)
Honest (2000)
Dead Gorgeous (2002)
Most Haunted (2002)
Creep (2004)
Spy (2004)
V for Vendetta (2006) – the name ‘Strand’ is clearly visible at several points in the film, although in non-original signage added by the film-makers.
The Good Shepherd (2006)
Primeval (TV series) (2007)
Atonement (2007)
Rise of the footsoldier (2007)
The Bank Job (2008)
Most Haunted Live: Total Darkness (2008)
Spooks (2008)

The platform was also used during the Blitz to store precious artifacts. There’s something about the idea of a disused station that’s pretty cool. It would be awesome to use one for something these days. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know.

It seems that every rapper at one point sings about having hotel parties. But it’s an experience that most people only have when they’re on holiday. Why don’t we do it more.

Hotel parties are great for a number of reasons. Namely the fact that you don’t have to do any washing up or even better cleaning the day after.

The fact that anything within reason can be done without consequences means that people lose their inhibitions much faster.

Last night a group of us ended up back at Blakes. Within seconds of arrival music blared from laptop speakers and room service had been called to bring us a load of booze to be left outside the door.

Someone wetted a towel and aimed to break champagne glasses by cracking the whip so to speak. Others stumbled and swayed. Everyone had a good time.

The thing is, you can get a hotel room on last minute for hardly anything, especially if it’s split between a load of people. Bring on the parties.

Working nights is a weird situation to be in. You live in a perpetual twilight of the early dawn and the setting sun. Days become a distant memory as every cell in your body absorbs the night.

The major problem with a nocturnal lifestyle is that the majority of the world is geared around those who work 9-5 in the daylight hours.

The most simple of things like going to the bank to cash a cheque becomes a monumental task. You’re used to getting to sleep at 9 in the morning. So having to get to the bank by 5 is the equivalent of waking up at 4 in the morning to have to deal with bureaucratic bull shit.

When you finish a stressful night in the office the thing you want is a little emotional support. A thing that is merely a call away at 6 in the evening becomes an impossibility at 6 in the morning.

The commute home, for most people a crowded tube journey surrounded by suits becomes a blur of people on drunken escapades and toilet attendants lugging their suitcases home.

But all this put together makes for something special. Those who work nights have a certain sense of solidarity. The bonds formed are stronger and more vivid. Everyone is in the shit together and that gives you a sense of belonging. Both destructive and alluring. Bring on the night.