Irritating Britain?

So we're an irritating country, obsessed with celebrity chit chat, eh? According to the new Rough Guide to Britain, yes. Do a spot check on any British high street . You'll probably have to swerve off the pavement into an oncoming car to avoid bumping into crowds of shabbily-dressed, mobile-phone-toting crowds - rushing from one Starbucks to the other. And then there's the glass and litter-strewn streets terrorised by tipsy teens and twens on a Saturday night.

Rough Guide goes on to call Brits overweight, binge-drinking reality TV addicts. But are they talking about the 2.7 million benefit scroungers or those that work for a living?

Whilst the trend in Europe is towards working ever shorter hours, Britain is the hardest working nation, putting in an average 60-hour week. Even the celebrity-obsessed Sun calls us "Work-mad Brits" (09.06.07).

According to the Life Balance Survey, 97% of Brits are living their lives out of kilter, with millions spending less than 6 hours a week with their loved ones. Blimey. No wonder they need to let there hair down during that precious time off.

Many Germans I speak to frown at our behaviour, seeing us as a nation of extremes. Either overdressed at work or underdressed at leisure, either overeating or undereating. But when it comes to British TV reality and quiz shows, fashion, music and culture they are passionate copy cats.

Don't read too much into the Vague (sic) Guide to Britain. At 16.99 quid it's a joke.