Sorry 'bottom rung' makes me sound like Norman Tebbit so apollys before JD Traynor accuses me of hunting plebs for blood sport or something.

Whilst perambulating somewhat languidly round Islington yesterday I was alerted to the the sound of a one sided altercation, and casting a concerned eye across the road I was greeted by some red faced angry woman screaming, shaking and threatening a child who was about 4, and at one point she picked him up and dangled him over the roadworks screaming in his face....

Clearly he'd probably been a bit arsey seeing he's only 3 or 4 for Dickens sake and everyone loses their rag at some point, but to be so brutal to a child just seems so disgusting and I wanted to go over there and intervene as having 'enjoyed' the experience of a vicious stepmother there was no way I could just stand there and see a poor kid being treated so monstriously.

But I baulked and funked it. I didn't intervene as the woman's aggression scared me probably to the same extent it did her son. But really when you see this sort of bulying of children in the street, should you get involved?

I just hope to God that people treated as badly never grow up thinking that's the norm or feeling worthless. Really, no matter how many things life throws at you there is no need to to treat children like pigs. What a fucking evil bitch.

On a lighter note, Martbowski is tomorrow's guest LwP person.