It is not gloating, it is survival instinct. Sort of Host vs. Parasite. Since 160 years ago, when the removal of the Corn Laws [1,2] marked the triumph of the Finance and Insurance  over Goods Production (Agriculture and Industry), England's economy has been losing its strength. Their Offshore economy - these are trades typical of islands such as Singapore, Manhattan - is feeding on continental economies.

{1]The Corn Laws were a protectionist imposition of tariffs to imported corn.
[2]At which time a magazine called "The Economist" appeared to champion those laws and free trade in general.