Gary,
I have never heard of anyone being "forced" off a frequency before; if you think it is the most appropriate frequency for your safety then it is your right to stay on it. I think the ATCO was probably overloaded, working to rule, or just being an ar$e!
Was it perchance the ATC unit that have recently NOTAMed that pilots can't expect any service from them?
Next time just advise going to en-route freq as advised, but instead just maintain snotty's freq without saying anything further. Then you have a listening watch anyway; if you subsequently had to make a distress call he is listening whether he likes it or not....
Actually I don't think that there is technically such a thing as a listening watch in ATC terms although it does sometimes seem the most appropriate. In UK, outside of regulated airspace, the types of service we can expect are radar advisory, radar information, or flight information. But I'm sure you are already aware of that.
This just re-inforces what I have maintained in the past, we are very definitely obliged to operate on a see and be seen basis whilst under VFR and cannot rely on ATC to keep us safe. Sometimes these days it appears we can rely on them 0% - even when it may seem logical to us to speak to them they don't want to know due to workload.
I am not knocking ATCOs; I admire what they do
but don't tell them I said that!