Thank goodness not everybody is going down the rules rule way. Joining circuit should always be accompanied by a high degree of respect to others, not by the "I am right because its in the rules" cowboys. If you ever fly to locations in countries where the Prussians brain are deadalive you will encounter quite some strange things. As far as I recall the traffic circuit has no legal binding, but only guideline character.
Yes, there are rules, actual more guidelines. Yes, in most countries one is asked to join 45 on downwind. Yes, going long final straight is not very polite to others on many occasions, but there may be a reason for it. Yes, the rule cowboys sometime state that everybody in circuit has priority over approaching plane, but as they are landing only on final, this is doubtful. Some even try to argue you have to keep a published altitude to be "officially in circuit", which is quite bad for i.e. fast ones which easily go 2.000ft instead of 1.000ft to get it fit to theier brick-like landing performance.
Discussion: the guidelines tend to give way to an a/c in landing not mentioning any right of way relationship to circuit traffic, so if I am only on base and someone is declaring long final landing, who is right (polite or not) - the long final is landing, but me on base not yet?