Exit plans are for others – January 2015

Our language has become full of abbreviations; CAP, BPS, EA, ACCS, EFA, CTS, HMRC! Every industry has its own acronyms meaning little to outsiders. Imagine a city banker listening to a conversation between two farmers on a crisp winter’s morning somewhere on the South Downs: “Has your SFP arrived?”, “No, the flipping RPA say I have put OT1 where it should say TG3”. “Blighters! I haven’t had my ELS, NE reckon my EE3 margins are too narrow and the EF2 cover plots have the wrong seed mix, clots! But the birds like it!” “I fixed my Euro rate, saved me eight grand. I’ve got to pay for the AN and MOP next month, thank goodness its come!” The banker, busy filling his cartridge bag for the next drive, gives up trying to understand what these two well dressed gentlemen are talking about and turns to his portly pal saying “What is your exit strategy?” The farmers overhear and whisper to one another “I hadn’t realised the banking crisis was that bad, let’s hope they don’t do it here!”