I notice you're in the UK - at least, I think that's the case.
I'm in California. I have done an extensive amount of traveling throughout the UK and Europe. Our systems are very similar on the surface, but the differences cut so deep I honestly think we're incapable of truly understanding each other.
So this may be a problem unique to the US. Our country is *MASSIVE* - no one seems to understand that.
We're not one country - we're at least 50.