Shame really, but as they have all the cards, and you can't get it from anywhere else, you'll just have to resign to your fate etc.
What you can do, after you get your visa etc, is to ask your British spouse/partner to contact their MP, who can raise the matter as a point of general interest to the Home Office, as they will be guaranteed a reply (though they will not comment on individual cases). The line of your argument to be put forward should be why it's taking so long to gain settlement visas, despite paying far in excess of the economic cost of providing the service? (£585 vs £379 according to http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/si...df?view=Binary)