Britain is a rich, modern and dynamic country but its housing is among the oldest, pokiest and most expensive of in the developed world. I am German and have lived in London for just over a year. When my friends and family visit, they are surprised at how sub-standard British houses look. And That surprise turns into astonishment and shock when I tell them how much one has to pay for them. Slowly, I am getting becoming increasingly irritated at being pitied all the time – and yes, I know I could afford something better in Germany.

The German media have picked up the story: the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung recently described Britain as a land where hot and cold water still run from two separate taps, where windows cannot be cleaned since they open only by sliding against each other, and where property prices are so inflated that the Brits British cannot afford anything better. Such derision hurts even all the more coming from a country whose economy is currently in the doldrums.