There can be very good reasons to not obey a red light. In roads poorly designed for cyclists, going through a red light - with appropriate care - takes you out of a dangerous position, e.g. next to a large truck that is maybe planning to turn but isn't bothering to indicate. Of course hurtling through a red light without looking as Darwin award worthy, but I rarely see that in London. As for waiting in line - in the UK it's perfectly legal to pass stationary traffic - even encouraged as there is sometimes a section dedicated to cyclists between the lights and where vehicles have to stop, for exactly this purpose. Again it reduces how often cyclists are caught in a dangerous road position.

Terrible advice - far more people get killed or injured by large vehicles turning into them from the side than from behind. Position yourself a good metre from the side of the road, forcing vehicles to actually overtake - if you ride in the kerb drivers will frequently try to squeeze past without moving out of their lane.