Maybe not the best word, but with house prices falling, food prices rising, spending cuts and a noticeable drop in the standard of living for a lot of people, is anyone else from the UK feeling maybe a little bit smug about moving to Switzerland or being in Switzerland right now, or maybe nervous about moving back ?

I am...

I think the word you are looking for is Schadenfreude.

Strangely (or not?), there is no equivalent word in the English language.

Are you feeling like a little complacent monkey?

Schadenfreude => gloating. - A word we seldom use.

No, I gain no pleasure from their misfortune, just a bit of satisfaction about getting out of the UK at the right time, just before the poo hit the fan, and feeling a little smug at a rare right move and decision...I don't think that is Schadenfreude.

so what does Schadenfreude mean please?

You forgot to mention the politicians have no clue what is going on and most of them are talking out of their hat. So best avoid to be there for a few years.

Yes, it's a bit silly there at the moment. These things don't pass quickly...

Justified? Of course. I made the conscious decision to leave the UK - in effect as an economic migrant - and moved years ago and have never looked back. For my career it has been the best move, which has enabled me to live life as I want.

Smug? Of course not. Added to which not everyone can just up-sticks and leave the UK.

Lucky? You bet. I might have ended up elsewhere - although that could be good or bad, overall I can have no complaints with the life I have here.

Why would I be feeling smug about otherwise good and decent people finding themselves on the short end of life's nasty and brutish stick again? I find myself unable to think of any reasons.

Low house prices falling aren't a complete disaster

No unless all you've got left is a small house and a big mortgage!

Smug about making the right decision, not about others plights.

Tell me about it.. we have kids starting University that passed GCSE in Maths and cannot do simple arithmetics (even with calculator!). Cannot understand simple instructions on how to attend interviews at University OR how to dress for interviews OR even better, have parents doing everything for them including enrollment. Yet they feel indignant when their application being rejected??

These are all accumulated results of political failure over the last 15 years and will take at least another generation to get it right.

Makes little difference to me. Things here are still more expensive than the UK by far. Yes the pound has gone down, so it's good to be earning franks with the potential to send savings back to the UK, but had I stayed in London I still would have had a good job and a good salary.

Plus I don't care about house prices as I don't own any as an investment; just the one I usually live in. And lower prices means the gap between what I have, and a nicer one that I'd like, gets smaller and hence more affordable.

But surely it's only a problem if you want to sell it. How about people don't view houses as getting rich schemes and do something novel with them...like live in them.

If you are having trouble re-financing your mortgage because you are in negative equity...well my heart bleeds for you...honestly...

But the correction in house prices is good for first time buyers with good credit. Not good for sleazy rich folk that bought lots of property when credit was easy and house prices were high. Do they teach buy high and sell low at business school or something?

Unlikely, which is a shame as I'd be able to show them my Halifax shares and get a grade A.

One of the reasons for me moving here was to keep ahead of the economic crisis (not escape, I don't think CH is immune). It's too early to gloat, Switzerland could be hit just as hard.

The one lesson I took away from the few business classes I had was to never join a bandwagon. Because if it's a bandwagon...you're too late.

Welcome on board the Swiss bandwagon... oh, wait.

That's why I'm a poor scientist

Some questions inevitably result from this statement :

> house prices falling can be a GOOD thing as it may make it easier for new business to establish themselves or coming in. Why is this only negative in the UK ?

> food prices rising ? Is this the result of the falling UK£ exchange rate ?

> are these spending cuts have such a tremendous impact ? And if so does this mean that there in the U.K. still was/is a lot depending on the central government ?

> what, up to your opinion, is the main reason for the "drop in the standard of living" in the U.K. ?