Good morning, I’m Nigel Peacock

• Are Britain’s two right-wing parties coming together to form one?

• Nigel Farage faces Count Binface in the polls this month

• Diana Abbott is counting her good fortune returning to the Labor backbenches

• And are we looking at food shortages due to climate change in the UK?

It’s the Right - United Again. Maybe

You could barely make it up.

Career politician and ex-Member of Parliament, Nigel Farage leads Reform UK, which just lost the Manchester mayoral election. By a lot.

Two days after the result was announced, with Labour holding the mayoral seat, Farage is talking to Rupert Lowe about bringing the two main right-wing parties back together. Farage and Lowe fell out some time ago, with the latter storming off and creating Restore Britain, a new party in direct competition with Reform UK. It was bound to end in tears.

Over the weekend, the two right-wing parties appeared to kiss and make up, with talks underway to join them together as a single entity. You know, like the single entity they were before they split. They claim that there was an agreement to come back together some time ago. Which doesn’t explain why both parties put up candidates in Manchester last week.

Whether their agreement will succeed and where Lowe would fit into Reform UK is anyone’s guess.

Farage vs Count Binface

In the meantime, Farage is in battle with Count Binface for the seat he walked away from in Clacton-on-Sea. With a record 38 candidates on the ballot paper, the longest in history, finding Farage or Binface’s names will take voters time.

Several national polls put Count Binface ahead in the race. However, national polls are a waste of time and money, as the only poll which counts will be the one in Clayton-on-Sea in a couple of weeks' time. Quite which way the locals in the constituency will vote is anyone’s guess. And that depends on how many decide to turn out on the day, or send in their postal votes.

If Farage succeeds in holding the seat against a comedy candidate, his challenge will be reuniting the right. Can voters really take this man seriously anymore?

Share The Peacock Report

Numbers Lady is Back

It’s true. Diane Abbott is returning to the Labour Party.

The MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington has suffered from talking a certain amount of nonsense when it comes to numbers and became the butt of jokes across the media.

Abbott was suspended from the Labour Party in 2025 following a row about antisemitism. She was also suspended in 2023 over a separate incident.

Diane Abbott has issued an apology to the party, seen as enough to be readmitted to the fold. Andy Burnham’s new Chief Whip, Annelise Midgley took the decision. A number of MPs have been pressing for her reinstatement, and a petition from some 38,000 backed her return.

Andy Burnham and Annelise Midgley are both new to their positions. They should remember the phrase: act in haste, repent in leisure. How this will work out is anyone’s guess.

Food Shortages Due to Climate Change

Climate change deniers are among the population in Britain, who could soon be suffering a food shortage.

The continued drought in the UK, currently affecting much of the country, is starting to create food shortages for some produce.

The simple laws of biology will tell you that water is needed to grow food. Less water - less food. Not a difficult concept to grasp, except by climate deniers.

The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) is warning that the continued lack of rain has created very low yields for wheat and oats this summer. This means feeding livestock is becoming difficult, with farmers forced to use winter stocks in August.

Economics tells us that shortages increase prices due to scarcity. So far, so normal. However, with the weather conditions as they are, it is not so much the prices which are a worry, but the actual availability of food for consumption. Think of the vegetables you have on your plate. Carrots, potatoes, salads. All of these need water to grow in sufficient quantities. Shortage of water equals shortage of food.

Still, I’m sure that climate change deniers have a plan up their sleeve. Drinking more beer perhaps. There’s no water in that . . . oh, hang on . . . !

And that’s the Peacock Report for Monday, 3 August, 2026.

I will hold my hand up and say that football is not a sport I follow or enjoy.

When anyone asks me about football, I generally close down the conversation with the line ”Football? Is that the round ball, or the squishy one?” Works every time.

Even as non-fan, I can see the political shenanigans acted out on both sides of the Atlantic, by politicians, trying to influence the outcome for their team.

Sir Kier Starmer Calls FIFA

The English team were due to play Mexico yesterday and the match went ahead at the scheduled time. In truth, it was an hour late kicking off, but the weather can be blamed for that.

The outgoing British prime minister was not happy with a suggestion from FIFA that the time of the match was to be advanced by several hours. Starmer’s rational, was that the earlier time favoured the Mexican team, as the Three Lions would loose time needed to acclimatise.

FIFA conceded and the match went ahead as originally planned, following political pressure from the British PM.

Political Leaders 1 : 0 FIFA

Soccer’s Top Expert, Donald Trump Weighs In

United States team top scorer Folarin Balogun, received a red card during the match for a foul against Bosnia-Herzegovinian player, Tarik Muharemovic. The red card meant that Balogun would be excluded from the next US team match against Belgium.

Enter US president, one Donald Trump.

Trump, ever ready to cheat at something, called FIFA no less than three times, to “suggest” that the foul by Balogun was reviewed.

Review it, FIFA did, and decided to overrule the referee and allow Balogun to be selected to play against Belgium.

This is the same FIFA who awarded Trump their specially invented #fake Peace Prize, just weeks before Trump started a war against Iran.

The match against Belgium and the United States is due to start not long after this article is published.

If the US team manager, or Folarin Balogun, have a shred of decency, they will not select the red carded player to take to the pitch. If they decide Balogun is included in the team and plays against Belgium, then FIFA lose any form of credibility, having bowed to pressure from Trump.

Whichever way this goes, to use a commentator cliche, “football is the loser here”.

Political Leaders 2 : 0 FIFA

Subscribe now

Today, Tuesday April 7, 2026, the world holds its breath as Donald Trump decides whether to back off from his latest threat.

Within a few hours, the United States military, under the orders of its Commander in Chief, could be complicit in war crimes in Iran.

The Geneva Convention, to which the US is a signatory, specifically excludes attacks on civilian targets such as power or water plants. These plants are considered vital for life, and military attacks against them would be considered a war crime.

Donald Trump doesn’t seem worried about that, or becoming a war criminal. The reason? He knows he will never stand trial.

Trump is publishing crazy messages on Truth Social and making insane statements in press conferences. While increasing dementia is probably part of the cause, much of it is intentional.

Donald Trump is spouting this rubbish, as part of a future defence against court time, when his doctors will declare him unfit to stand. That is his plan.

Such a declaration would also protect him from any action under the Epstein files. Convenient, or what? He will then slope off and play golf for the rest of his days.

If Trump goes ahead with his threats to destroy all of Iran “in one night”, which would include much of their civilian infrastructure, how would that be achieved?

There is open debate in some parts of the media today, that the only way that could happen would be the use of nuclear weapons. The ultimate authority to use such weapons lies only with the president. Although some others in the chain can try and talk him out of it, the decision to open the nuclear football and use the command codes, lies entirely with Trump. He can even go against the advice of his secretary of war, Hesgeth.

The question arises, as to whether the military would carry out such an order from the Commander in Chief. If they did, then those in the military could themselves be found to be war criminals. If they didn’t, they could be court marshalled.

Two things can happen in the next 24 hours.

The first, is that Trump presses ahead with his insane plan to bomb Iran “back to the Stone Age”, becoming a war criminal and taking much of the military with him. Or, second, he backs away from his threat. Again.

Which way the United States will jump tonight, depends on the increasing dementia of an elderly man who hates to lose. And, will anyone be able to stop him?

Let’s hope we are all here tomorrow to discover what happened.

Subscribe now

Today, Tuesday, the US railed against its closest allies, in particular, the United Kingdom.

And the UK has had enough.

At the Pentagon press conference today, Secretary of War, Pete Hesgeth, showed his exasperation with US allies, over their perceived lack of involvement by them in the US-Israel war with Iran.

Donald Trump also lashed out at the lack of involvement from allies over the past month, demanding help one moment and saying the US doesn’t need help, in equal measure. He has threatened NATO’s in-action, despite taking an active role being against the terms of the organisation.

The war against Iran is a mess. Trump can see no way it of it, and no way to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. So, he blames everyone else and says he will leave it to them to sort out. Not his problem.

Let’s remember, that the Strait of Hormuz was fully open when Israel and the US attacked Iran. Now Trump praises the “many more” ships passing through, as if it were a victory.

From the press conference today:

HESGETH: “ . . . there are many more vessels flowing [though the Strait of Hormuz] today than there were, that the President has arranged.”

FACT: Before the war 140 ships a day passed through the Strait.

FACT: On Saturday 13 ships - Sunday six - Monday four - today so far - three

(Source: Marine Traffic and BBC Verify)

Thanks Donald - start a war and then expect someone take to pick up the pieces.

The allies are fed up with being bullied by this man. His constant change of direction is both damaging to his own troops, and to long term alliances with friendly countries.

The level of “fed up” now includes France, Spain and Italy who have closed their airspace and airbases to US military aircraft, except in an emergency. Trump’s reaction? “WE WILL REMEMBER” - a further threat from a “so called” friendly nation.

In the past few days, the US has allowed Russia to berth an oil tanker in Cuba, despite having previously blockaded the country. Not US oil tanker to help relieve the people of Cuba, but a Russian vessel.

Let’s remember, Trump also reversed sanctions on Russian oil, to “help world supply”, thereby providing billions of dollars to Moscow due to rising oil prices. Dollars they can divert to their war against Ukraine. The US supporting Russia, rather than the people of Ukraine. Again.

Trump has also cozied up with the leader of Belarus, a country often called the last dictatorship in Europe. The US president praised Alexander Lukashenko, leader of a country that has actively assisted Russian in the war in Ukraine. A war which has been pushed down the news front pages and almost forgotten.

The US president has also continues to praise another undesirable leader, Hungary’s Viktor Orbán.

Praise and support for Putin, Lukashenko and Orban, while railing against the closest US ally, the United Kingdom, along with the rest of Western Europe.

The way that Trump and his administration is going, there soon won’t be any European allies willing to work with America. Trump will have driven then all away. He doesn’t seem bothered about that and appears to be actively encouraging ripping up decades old agreements.

Trump’s action of support for the likes of Russia, Belarus, Hungary (is North Korea next?) indicates that he wants to tear apart decades of mutual support from current US allies and cozy up with dictators.

Dictators - It takes one to know one!

Subscribe now

Share The Peacock Report

Take a close look at Trump’s Truth Social post from Thursday:

Towards the bottom, he says:

. . . in order to address this emergency situation . . .

Note those words - emergency situation.

The US president just declared an “emergency situation”, putting the blame, naturally, anywhere but on his own desk.

Trump can use his fake manufactured “emergency situation” to stop the mid-term elections in November.

And note he also used the words “National Crisis” to strengthen his so-called “emergency situation”.

There will be no mid-term elections in the United States this November.

Remember those words.

The Republicans are losing so badly in the polls that Trump knows that the midterms will OBLITERATE the party in Congress.

Trump loves the word OBLITERATE, having used it last year to claim he had completely obliterated the nuclear threat from Iran. Curiously, he seems to need to obliterate them again at the moment. Was it possible that last year, the nuclear sites were not obliterated, and that he told a lie? Surely not!

If the US-Israel war against Iran is concluded before the midterms, Trump will need another excuse to cancel or delay the vote. By declaring an “emergency situation” now, he can use that as the excuse to prevent a Democratic landslide in November. The declaration may be subtle, but it is certainly there in his Truth Social post.

What has been missed in the media today is the declarations of an “emergency situation” and a “National Crisis”.

Trump can come back in a few months' time and point out that he has already made the declaration of an “emergency situation” - and what do you mean, you missed it? - then cancel the vote, which will do him and the Republicans so much harm.

Where is the Democratic fightback this morning to say there is no “emergency situation”? Where is the media?

The declaration of a “National Crisis” and an “emergency situation” is going to come back and bite the US very hard, very soon.

Subscribe now

Redeeming feature -

a single positive quality or characteristic that compensates for other faults, drawbacks, or negatives in a person or thing, making them acceptable. It acts as a “saving grace” or a redeeming factor that prevents something from being totally bad or flawed - Dictionary.com

Share The Peacock Report

Does Donald Trump have any redeeming features?

It is possible I may have found one.

Before the big reveal, let’s take a look at the man.

Trump is well known for being a bully. He cares little about what anyone else thinks. He is impulsive, and changes his mind more often than he changes his underwear.

He would rather spend time at Mar-a-Lago playing golf and entertaining guests, who pay handsomely to be there, rather than “working” in the Oval Office in Washington.

The man has a list of convictions as long as his arm, and in his first term, was impeached. Twice.

And, he lies. Thousands upon thousands of times. 30,573 times according to one report.

These are some of the features of who Donald Trump is, or has become.

He lacks any form of empathy to others, including his family.

His prime interest in the world, is money. Lots of it, coming from other people.

Some of his grifts designed to extract dollars from his supporters, have included demands to pay his personal legal fees for multiple court cases. These pleas from a man who claims to be a billionaire, seven times over. A billionaire, who grifts his followers for dollars many can ill afford.

When there is media coverage he dislikes, the media concerned is “fake news” or “failing”. Words which can often be attributed to Trump himself.

A recent feature, has been his misspelling of words in Truth Social posts. Last week, was the “Straights” of Hormuz, rather than Strait, singular. This week “witch” instead of which, and “please” rather than pleased. These last two, in the same post. And his incessant SHOUTING in capital letters.

These are all “features” of a man elected as president of the United States.

The list is close to endless and seems to expand day-by-day.

But what of his one redeeming feature?

He does have one redeeming feature.

Just the one.

A redeeming feature when he can do no damage to the American people or to the world.

Donald Trump’s one, and only redeeming feature, is that he sleeps for five hours a night.

Subscribe now

Share

Who needs the Straits of Hormuz, if the gas fields are destroyed?

Right. So preventing Iran from having nuclear weapons, now means destroying the world’s largest gas field?

What are the leader of the US and Israel thinking?

On the one hand, Trump wants countries to help to protect oil and gas tankers passing through the Straits of Hormuz, or “straights” as he misspelt it in a Trust Social post. Is there no end to this man’s lack of brainpower?

Protection of ships is one thing, but destroying the gas fields where the product comes from is plain crazy.

The gas field in question, South Pars, is jointly shared by Iran and Qatar. The Iranian side was attacked by Israel.

20% of the world’s oil and gas passes through the Straits of Hormuz, bound for countries across the globe. By destroying the gas fields, what is the point of protecting the Straits, if the flow is cut off? When the war ends, the damaged or destroyed gas and oil fields are not magically going to come back online to supply the world’s needs.

The world’s natural resources are finite but, hey, let’s destroy them shall we?

Assisted Dying Bill rejected

In Scotland, the vote against the Assisted Dying Bill was lost by 69 votes to 57.

Liam McArthur, the Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP had wanted to pass a bill which would have allowed treatment to be made available to terminally ill, mentally competent adults who have been given less than six months to live.

The Scottish parliament held a heated debate on Tuesday, with the bill defeated after the vote.

The Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill would have made it legal for a medical practitioner to administer lethal drugs to terminate the life or a person, under very strict circumstances.

McArthur said last night that would not attempt to reintroduce the bill again in the future and pass the baton on to others.

Share The Peacock Report

War means profit

Oil prices continue to hold around the $100 a barrel mark, with increased prices feeding through to the pumps.

Two of the petrol station where I live in the UK, have prices between £1.39 and £1.46 a litre. In the US, prices for gas have increased by around $1 a gallon.

Fuel suppliers swear blind, that prices have to increase the instant there is a rise in global prices. Curiously, the opposite is true when wholesales prices drop.

There are calls on both side of the Atlantic for a windfall tax on oil companies, which are expected to post significant profit increases in the future.

It should be remembered, that in the UK, price increases at the pump and for wholesale, means that the treasury pull in additional fuel duty and VAT.

Any windfall tax will go to, let me see . . . oh yes, the treasury.

The treasury gains twice, while the motorist pays through the nose for their fuel. Will car owners and freight companies see a refund coming their way from the additional fuel duty, VAT or windfall tax?

Take a wild guess!

Subscribe now

Subscribe now

The scene: A private(ish) What’s App group

Random Lackey: Is the president of the US in the room?

Gavin Newsom: Yes, I’m here.

Trump: Not you Newsom, I’m the president.

Newsom: But you said . . .

J.D. Vance: President in waiting here. What’s up?

Pete Hegseth: As president of war, I can declare that things are not going well in Iranistan. Nobody will help.

Trump: I told the Englishman, what’s his name? Sir Steer Karmer to send some ships to help out.

Hegseth: He said no. After all, sir, you did say recently that the British troops were crap and you didn’t want his ships, but now you do.

Vance: That’s what happens when you are rude to people.

Trump: Shut the hell up veepy.

Hesgeth: We need a new spin on needing these ships.

Karoline Levitt: Do ships spin? I can make ships spin. I’m queen of spin. I’m spinning now, wheeeee….!

Random Lackey: Seriously Levitt? What’s need here is a distraction.

Trump: Yeah, yeah, we haven’t had a new distractions for days. I want a distraction, a bigly beautiful distraction. A hugely distraction. Distract me. Dis . . . what were we saying?

Hesgeth: We haven’t invaded anywhere new for three weeks. We’re well overdue for another punch up.

Levitt: Greenland, we could invade Greenland. It sounds a lovely place. So green and, err, landy.

Newsom: As president, if I could just say . . .

Trump: Button it Mr. President, I mean, Newscum.

Random Lackey: It needs to be closer to home, the cost of oil for our ships has skyrocketed for some reason.

Hesgeth: How about some random island?

Trump: Islands make me nervous and that was a whole different redaction, err, distraction.

Levitt: I have a map here and a dagger, let me put on my blindfold and randomly stab the map. Stab it. Stab! stab! stab!

Hesgeth: A sound military tactic there Levitt.

Vance: Finished stabbing Barbie?

Levitt: Some place called Q-ba. Misspelt as Cuba on this Gulf of Mexico map.

Trump: Gulf of America dumbo, soon the be the Gulf of Trump.

Newsom: There’s certainly a “gulf” there . . .

Random Lackey: That’s close enough, so much cheaper for Pete’s war budget.

Trump: Right, soundbite time for those reprehensible hateful people of the media.

Levitt: You need those awful soon-to-be-banned media folks, otherwise how will people hear about a war with Q-ba?

Newsom: The Cubans will hear it. You might hear it when the Russians start lobbing missiles at Mar-a-Lago from Cuba.

Vladimir Putin: Da! Dis is truth.

Hesgeth: What you doing here? This is a private WhatsApp group.

Putin: You tink anything you do be private? What a bunch of looney toons.

Trump: I told you not to post here, just listen.

Vance: We need to stop this. We are not secure here.

(Everybody bar two leave the WhatsApp group)

Trump: Hello? Hello? How can I run the country when you all push off?

Random Lackey: I only let you think you run the country Trumpy, while I really run everything. You lot are only there as a distraction . . . from what I do . . .

(Random Lackey leaves the WhatsApp group)

Share

Now, Trump Demands Help

The Israel-US war with Iran is causing issues with the supply of oil worldwide.

A few days after Israel and the US started their campaign against Iran, Trump expected the United Kingdom to supply full access to shared military bases for attacks on Tehran. The UK said no, just for defensive use.

Then Trump expected the UK to move warships to the Gulf, and the UK didn’t Instantly do so. Unlikely in the US, in the UK the prime minister must report such requests to Parliament ahead of a decision. Strictly speaking, the president must to the same the Congress, but that never happened.

As the UK hadn’t jumped to attention and sent ships, Trump responded by saying don’t send the ships, we don’t need them. And that he will “remember”.

Over the weekend, Trump asked seven nations, including the UK, to send ships to help in his war. China was one of the states asked to send ships.

China has neither accepted nor declined. Germany wants no part of it “It’s not our war, we stable start it”. and Spain has refused use of any of their shared military bases for action at any level. In Japan, the view is that they will not take any part in a maritime security operation.

The UK has said that it will not be drawn into “a wider war” by becoming closely involved. British PM Sir Kier Starmer has said that protection of our people and assets in the region, is as far as the country will go.

There are discussions underway between some nations, including the UK, over sending ships in a defensive role, to guide oil tankers through the Straits of Hormuz. However, if sent, those ships will not be used for attacks on Iran and at this pint, no country has made a firm commitment.

Subscribe now

Trump still doesn’t understand the role of NATO

The US president has threatened the future of NATO too. Again. NATO has no role in a war between Israel-US and Iran.

The purpose of NATO in a conflict is to protect its own. No NATO country has been invaded by an outside actor, so the famed Article Five does not come into force. NATO can become involved in certain circumstances as a peace force after a conflict.

Trump continues to throw his toys out of the pram, saying actions not taken will be remembered. He threatened to cancel a summit with Xi in China, unless the Chinese send vessels.

The Mar-a-Lago Bully

The bull-boy tactics of the US president are wearing a bit thin in Europe now.

Countries and administrations are becoming fed up with the ever changing tactics and verbal attacks from Trump and are starting to rebel.

The person in the street in the UK has already tune-out and even the media seem bored. Two national daily newspapers in the UK today, Monday, have no mention of the war on their front pages. Not a word.

Across the UK and much of Europe, nobody wants this war and are starting to distance themselves from Israel and the United States. If Trump continues to threaten his allies in the way he is doing, it will only drive the two further apart.

And that helps nobody.

Share The Peacock Report

A US president, Donald Trump, declared this weekend that he would continue bombing Iranian Kharg Island “just for fun”.

Fun? Killing people on the ground is now “fun” for the president of the free world. A sport for his entertainment. Killing people, just for fun.

Last month, the repressive regime in Iran killed thousands of their own citizens who stood up to their government. The world finds the Iranian regime repugnant; they were killing their own population in order to control them.

Trump announced this weekend, that he will continue to bomb Kharg Island which has a strategic place in the supply of oil. The US military has already heavily bombed this area. Yet, Trump wants to continue to drop bombs “for fun”.

That “fun” for the president, will kill people. Dead. People killed for the “fun” of a US president.

How despicable does this man have to become before the GOP rise up against him and kick him out?

The problem is, they show little sign of it, as they are quite simply afraid of the man. What does he have on them? GOP names redacted in the Epstein file perhaps, which he will reveal if they work against him? Probably not, but who knows in this crazy administration?

The longer they refuse to take Trump on, the more complicit they are in the deaths of members of the US military and the Iranian people. The term war criminals comes to mind.

Yes, the world finds the Iranian regime appalling and dangerous, and rightly so. But how different is it to what the US president and by extension, the US government and the GOP have become?

The US may have killed the Iranian leader Ali Khamenei in the first days of the war, ridding Iran of a tyrant. But now, the US has a tyrant happy to bomb places and people “just for fun”.

The US needs to remove its own tyrant. Now.

Subscribe now

Donald Trump launched a conflict against Iran, with help from Israel.

Trump couldn’t be bothered to ask for a vote from Congress, which is required under the constitution. Instead he simply “informed” the big-eight. Those eight congressional leaders had had to ask Trump to inform them if he was about to launch an attack.

The president has little or no interest in the wording of the constitution, unless it is to his benefit.

The rest of congress only found out about the conflict they should have voted on, by reading Trump’s words on Truth Social.

He also couldn’t be bothered to manage the strike from Washington, preferring to be at his private Mar-a-Lago home. Warmongering presidents should, surely, be at the central point of government, the White House, on such occasions. Not Trump, who care nothing for protocol.

Trump’s Real Goal: 1

Distraction and misdirection from the Epstein files. This continues to be a hot topic following the arrests in the UK in the last week of former Prince Andrew and Lord Mandelson.

This goal will be met quite quickly, as the mainstream media moves the news cycle away from Epstein to Iran. After all, what have you heard about the Epstein files in the past 48 hours? Zip.

Goal one achieved.

Trump’s Real Goal: 2

The attack on Iran is already spreading to neighbouring countries including the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Dubai. There are protests in Pakistan supporting Iran.

Trump wants a very small spread of the conflict to US soil. Preferably, a small Iranian cell in the States making some sort of minor mischief. Nothing where more than a few innocent Americans are killed or maimed. A small number of deaths would be fine for him.

As soon as that happens, Trump will instantly a national emergency in the US.

Such an “emergency” will mean that he can cancel or at least postpone the mid-term elections in November and the primaries ahead of them.

Trump knows the Republicans are going to lose “bigly’ in November with control in Washington passing to the Democrats. And that frightens him.

This “leader” demands 100% control over everything, (rather like the Iranians) which prevents him being taken to task over his lies and actions. And, it keeps him out of jail and prevents his third impeachment.

Goal two for Trump will be needed in the next couple of weeks. Whether it is an actual attack, or some made up intelligence, we can only speculate.

What is not under speculation, is that Trump intends to upset the mid-term elections, to his personal benefit.

Wait for your “National Emergency” America. An executive order has almost certainly been drafted.

Trump’s Real Goal: 3

Trump has failed in his bid to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, despite his claim to have ended eight wars.

He has decided to do a full 180 degree U-turn. If his legacy can’t be “peace” then let it be “war”.

Trump’s legacy will now be that he started possibly the most dangerous war of a generation. That will please him, as he will be remember long after he leaves office.

Goal three already achieved.

Subscribe now

The US was expecting an invasion of Iran to be the next port of call for distraction away from the Epstein files.

Then, yesterday, former Prince Andrew, now plain Mr. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was arrested by police in the UK over matters allegedly connected with Jeffrey Epstein.

Some minor relief in the White House that the news cycle pointed toward the United Kingdom and away from the US. Although the arrest of Andrew is related to Epstein, it is to do with his time as a UK trade ambassador and not with other matters.

Donald Trump has been working on his latest distraction from the Epstein files, with a threatened invasion of Iran. That can be delayed for a few days now, as the focus yesterday turned to Andrew.

News cycles can change very quickly, and today, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that many of the tariffs imposed by Trump were not legal and that it is up to Congress to manage them.

The news cycle raced back across the Atlantic to land fairly and squarely on the desk of the president.

With the news being tariff based today, that relives the tension for Iran. Trump has no need to invade and move the news cycle away from Epstein - the tariff debacle has done that. Iran is safe for a few more news cycles.

The question that becons now, is what happens to the billions of dollars (or trillions as Trump would have you believe) that have been paid by US importers since April?

Some of these increased costs were absorbed by the importers and supply chain, with other passed on to the end user or consumer. That’s you by the way.

Companies may now start to demand repayment of the billions, sorry trillions, of dollars taken illegally by the Trump administration, plus interest presumably. What will happen to those refunds?

Well, in theory, they should be paid back down the supply chain right into the hands of the end consumer. Remember, that’s you. Is that going to happen? Not a chance in hell will you see a single cent back in your pocket.

What will happen, is that the importer at the top of the chain will receive a refund of the tariffs and pocket the money.

It is quite clear that this is what will happen. Otherwise, why would shares in Amazon have jumped initially by over 6%. They have retreated from that high, but the principal remains.

Who will gain from the tariff refund? Big companies with a windfall profit, that’s who.

Who will loose from the tariff refund? Oh, yes, that would be you.

Please help to support independent journalism, free from billionaire owners (= controllers) by becoming a paid support of the Peacock Report. Every subscription helps.

Subscribe now

BREAKING NEWS

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested this morning.

The former Prince Andrew’s arrest is in connection with suspicion of misconduct in public office.

It has been alleged that Andrew passed documents to Jeffrey Epstein and possibly others, while he was the UK Special Representative for International Trade and Investment.

Police can hold him for up to 24 hours before releasing him on bail pending further enquiries. Or he can be releasing with no charge.

If required, police can apply to the courts to extend the 24 hours period up to a maximum of 96 hours.

Mountbatten-Windsor can be with a crime and releasing him on bail. Or, finally, charging him with a crime and holding him in custody.

That he has been arrested, means police can examine documents, computer, photographs etc. at his homes.

I understand that this is currently happening at his home on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk and at Royal Lodge on the Windsor estate, which he vacated recently.

Andrew is a younger brother of King Charles. In Britain, nobody is immune from the law, the only exception being the monarch, King Charles.

There is no indication that police investigation involves any other Epstein related matters. Mountbatten-Windsor made a payment of £12 million to Virginia Guiffre despite saying he had never met her.

Andrew is eight in line to the throne, despite having been stripped of his royal titles in October and November last year.

This story continues to develop. Subscribe to receive further updates in your email.

Subscribe now

The United States' popularity is plummeting worldwide.

And it is now due to more than one person.

Winter Olympics Booing

I love the Olympics and was watching the opening ceremony last night (Friday) as teams from around the globe paraded into the stadium in Milan, Italy.

Around 90 teams from all corners of the globe entered the stadium, one by one, in alphabetical order. Whether the team was 100 strong or a single athlete, everyone was clapped and cheered for equally.

That was, until the US team arrived.

As one of the largest teams to enter the Winter Olympics walked into the stadium, the atmosphere shifted from joy and inclusion to audible boos and jeers. On the big screen, the global audience saw the face of US Vice President J.D. Vance, waving to welcome his team.

The Italian and multinational audience at the Milan stadium did not appreciate seeing Vance on the screen, even with his four-year-old daughter. They wanted nothing of it, and the booing continued for a few moments as the bemused elite American athletes took in their apparent unpopularity.

What this did to the morale of the team members who had trained for years ahead of last night remains to be seen.

How far the unpopularity of the US Olympic team extends will become clear over the next 16 days of competition.

How the team members will be received at their individual events remains to be seen. The fact that they were booed into the stadium will remain long in their memories.

Well done, VP Vance - the world hates you and what you stand for.

World Cup Football Disaster

The US is one of three hosts for the FIFA World Cup this year, alongside Canada and Mexico.

Football, or soccer as it is known in the US, is one of the most popular sports in the world. Every four years, teams from all continents and parts of the world come together to compete to be the best.

The teams are followed by fanatical fans, who travel at great personal expense to cheer on their country.

Not so this year.

Donald Trump has made it impossible for some fans to travel from their home countries at all, with outright bans to “control immigration” and to “prevent criminals coming to the US”. Not individual people - the populations of whole countries.

News channels around the world cover people detained while they try to peacefully protest or go about their daily business.

The threat of being refused entry into the US, because on social media, they have said they’re not like Trump, is prominent in the minds of anyone thinking of going to the US. That is enough, not to be deported, but to be whisked off to one of the 255 ICE concentration camps, where one phone call a week is allowed and little in the way of legal representation.

A few days ago, I was listening to LBC radio in the UK, and a caller was speaking with the host about a relation held at one of the ICE detention camps. Contact and legal representation have been minimal, and no explanation has been given for the person's detention. The individual is still residing in an ICE detention centre two weeks on. She is white, British, and holds a full UK passport.

It’s for reasons like this that football fans from the UK and elsewhere are no longer planning to visit the FIFA World Cup.

Hotel rooms are being cancelled by the thousands, and airlines are seeing fewer people wishing to travel to the US. The knock-on effects on small businesses, such as restaurants, bars, and shops, mean they will see fewer people and dollars than expected during the World Cup.

The blame for what is going to turn into a disastrous financial mess can be firmly laid at the feet of one person. Donald Trump.

Why would anyone want to visit the US when the threat of being detained is so high?

MemeGate 2026

The appalling meme published by Donald Trump on his toxic Truth Social platform featuring the Obamas was beyond belief.

Of course, the owner of “@RealDonaldTrump” now denies having seen the content of the meme posted in his name. His press secretary, Karoline Levavitt, tried to dismiss the posting as unimportant, telling the media to concentrate on something more important to Americans.

That the president of the most powerful country in the world took 12 hours to delete this disgusting racist posting tells it all. He doesn’t care. Karoline Levavitt doesn’t care. The White House doesn’t care.

The meme was removed only after pressure from Republicans, who were disgusted that it had been posted in the first place and remained there despite official statements.

You have to ask: if prominent Republicans had made no comment, would the post still be live?

And all this . . .

. . . added together, is why the world is starting to turn its back on the United States.

The world boos the American Winter Olympics team because their vice-president is so hated.

The world isn't traveling to the US for the FIFA World Cup, and thousands won’t be attending.

And the disgust in all corners of the media about the appalling meme that sat publicly on Trump’s personal account on Truth Social for half a day has shown the utter contempt that Trump, his press secretary, and the White House in general treat anyone other than themselves. And no apology, of course.

The world is turning against the United States - and these stories only cover two days!

Subscribe now

Please take a moment to subscribe to The Peacock Report and to support the ever-growing need for independent journalism, free from corporate bias.
Please also share this article. Thank you.

Share

Another Defection to Reform UK

The Conservative Party saw perhaps the most senior ever member defect to Reform UK this morning (Monday).

Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman became the latest Member of Parliament to join the party fronted by Nigel Farage.

The rank of Home Secretary in the United Kingdom is the most senior cabinet post next to the Prime Minister. A defection of this level will be seismic for the Conservative Party.

Suella Braverman stood for leadership of the party in 2022 and was knocked out in the second round. She considered standing again in 2024, but withdrew after deciding it would be “mad, bad and dangerous” to take the top job.

Today, she resigned as a member of the Conservative Party after 30 years, saying that she had now “come home” as a member of Reform UK.

Her defection, the third this month, brings the number of Reform UK MPs up to eight.

The Conservatives now see their seat count reduced to 116. The Labour government hold 404 seats, the Liberal Democrats 72, from a total of 650 in all.

Reform UK has declared that they will not take any further defectors after the May 2026 local elections. The remaining 116 Conservative MPs have a deadline to decide whether to stay put, or join the rising right-wing party.

Who will be the next MP or prominent Conservative to jump ship?

Given her outspoken views on the party, former PM Liz Truss could be reaching for the phone. I’m not sure Reform UK would want her.

Meanwhile . . .

Over at Labour headquarters this morning, things are little better.

The National Executive Committee (NEC) ruled against allowing Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham stand in the now vacant seat of Gorton and Denton, following the resignation of the incumbent MP due to ill health.

This decision by Sir Kier Starmer, a member of the NEC, will reverberate around the Labour Party, with many predicting a civil war by both members and MPs who are firmly against the decision to exclude Burnham.

If Andy Burnham were to be elected an a Member of Parliament, again, there is a strong belief that he would challenge Starmer for the top spot.

May 2026 Elections

The local elections and those in Wales and Scotland this May, will be pivotal for all of the major parties.

In a weekend poll, Reform were in the lead, with 31% saying they would vote for the party in a general election. May is not, however, a general election and local factors will come into play.

Another factor, is some 29 county and borough councils where elections are due, will not it be held in May. These have been postponed due to the reorganisation of councils currently in progress. The majority are Labour held, which avoids some falling to Reform UK.

Watch This Space

Will we see more defections ahead of the May elections? Who will be the next MP to cross the floor?

We are in for an interesting run over the next few months.

Subscribe now

You would be hard pushed to make it up.

US president Donald Trump creates a ‘Board of Peace’ and appoints himself chairman for life. He cannot be removed.

Trump also decides who will replace him. No elections here.

Invitations go out to around 60 countries and a number of individuals, including former British prime minister, Tony Blair. The United Kingdom has so far declined to take a place on the board, leaving Blair as the singular unofficial Brit.

Trump has total authority to invite whomever he likes to this new ‘peace’ organisation. Invitations include Israel (at war with Gaza) and Russia (at war with Ukraine). Neither are paragons of virtue and remember, Trump said in his Davos speech that the US did attack Venezuela when removing its elected president.

Other members of the board, include Belarus, who have supported Russia in the war with Ukraine. Perhaps the invitation to North Korea has been held up in the post?

Europe has largely not responded nor taken up places offered on the Board of Peace. Concerns for European leaders is the make up of potential members, especially Russia.

Canada would be considered a moderate member and initially accepted the invitation. Within 24 hours, Trump kicked Canada out, after prime minister Mark Carney said something the US president didn’t like.

To say that this so called Board of Peace will run under democratic lines is laughable. This is already proven by Trump appointing himself as lifetime chairman and unilaterally removing Canada.

The original idea for a Board of Peace, was to be an agency supported by the United Nations, aimed at maintaining peace in Gaza and looking at plans to rebuild the country. Then, Trump decides to register a private corporation under the Board of Peace name, with the published charter failing to mention Gaza.

For countries, and presumably individuals, who wish to be permanent members, the charge is $1 billion each. The $1 billion remains under the full control of, yes you guessed, Donald Trump.

This is nothing more than a grab for power by a man who changes his mind as often as he changes his socks. Mark Carney makes a comment Trump didn’t like and sees Canada instantly removed, proves that this so called board is a total farce.

If a remark from Carney is enough tor removal before the board has even met to discuss anything, how many will be left after they disagree with something Trump says?

Imagine if Canada has parted with $1 billion and then Trump kicked them off. What are the odds that there would be a zero refund?

This board is undemocratic, filled with people conducting wars and run by a dictator who cares nothing for peace and everything about how to control and spend multiple lots of $1 billion.

If this board is Trump’s pitch for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2027, he is more deluded than normal.

A Board of Peas (illustrated) will survive longer than a Board of Peace. Remember Truss and the lettuce?

Subscribe now

When will it sink in with Americans that tariffs are paid by them?

This is the reality,

A 10% tariff on a $20 product adds $2 tax, taking the cost to $22.

The $2 tariff tax is paid by the American company that imports the product to the US government. It is not paid by the exporting county.

The importer passes the additional $2 on to their customer, making the product more expensive for Americans.

What part of this do most Americans not understand?

Today, Saturday, Donald Trump announced additional tariffs on American buyers of products from Denmark, the United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Finland.

The reason for this extra tax on Americans is that the countries in question don’t like Trump’s threats to take over Greenland. And they have said so.

The reactions from leaders of the countries threatened by Trump have been swift and direct.

Sir Kier Starmer, British Prime Minister:

"Our position on Greenland is very clear – it is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and its future is a matter for the Greenlanders and the Danes. Applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of Nato allies is completely wrong. We will, of course, be pursuing this directly with the US administration.”

Ulf Kristersson, Swedish Prime Minister:

"We will not allow ourselves to be blackmailed . . . This is an EU issue that concerns many more countries than those now being singled out.

Sweden is now having intensive discussions with other EU countries, Norway and the UK for a collective response.”

Emmanuel Macron, French President:

Macron said that France remains committed to "the sovereignty and independence of Nations . . . no intimidation nor threat will influence us. We will ensure that European sovereignty is respected.”

Jonas Gahr Støre, Norwegian Prime Minister:

"Threats have no place among allies . . . Norway's position is firm: Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark.”

Share

For context, several European countries have sent representatives, including some military advisors, to Greenland in the past few days, as a result of US threats against the country. Additionally, senior representatives from Greenland and Denmark visited the White House this week to discuss the situation.

A bipartisan group of American top officials is due to travel to Denmark shortly to continue the talks.

In the middle of this shuttle diplomacy, Donald Trump posted today on Truth Social a long and angry message, insulting Denmark and Greenland. His accusation that their entire defense protection is two dog sleds would be laughable if this situation weren’t so serious.

His rambling Truth Social message included the words:

“ Starting on February 1st, 2026, all of the above mentioned Countries. .[listed] . . will be charged 10% Tariff on any and all goods sent to the United States of America . . . until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland . . .”

The grammatically incorrect capital letters are of Trump’s making.

Nothing about these new tariffs has been discussed, agreed, or even notified to Congress.

Needless to say, Greenland, Denmark, and a swathe of European countries were unimpressed with his post and hit back quickly.

It has been made clear to Donald Trump more than once that Greenland is not for sale. The country does not want to be the 51st state. And, for that matter, nor do Canada, Mexico, Panama, Venezuela, or any random country which comes into his head.

The public reaction in the United Kingdom, where I live, has been interesting in the past few hours since Trump’s announcement.

Friends I have spoken with, from both the left and right, all condemn Trump’s bully tactics. Not a single one of them believes that the United States has any right to demand to buy a country, or bully those countries that stick up for Greenland with threats of tariffs, payable by US citizens, so as to satisfy his lust for power. Several are concerned that the US will invade Greenland.

One family I know has already cancelled their holiday to Florida, worried about the violence in the US, and the concern they may be arrested because they made a post on Facebook saying they didn’t like what Trump has been saying about Greenland.

Such a cancellation will hurt US businesses, but you can bet who won't be financially affected and therefore won’t care about US businesses: one Donald Trump.

So, American Trump voters, when you next buy something from overseas and wonder why the cost has gone up - remember, it is YOU who pays the Trump tariff tax.

Subscribe now

Three days into the new year and the United States has bombed parts of Venezuela, extracting President Maduro and his wife.

Both are said to be on their way to New York, where Attorney General Pam Bondi has said they will stand trial under a 2020 indictment.

Reactions from around the world condemn and praise the action from Trump. Action apparently taken without reference to Congress or regard to international law.

“This morning, the United States committed an act of armed aggression against Venezuela. This is deeply concerning and condemnable . . . We support the statement by the Venezuelan authorities and the leaders of Latin American countries calling for an immediate meeting of the UN Security Council." ~ Russia Foreign Ministry

Seriously?

The attack on Venezuela will only embolden Putin in his campaign against Ukraine and potentially, other European countries.

What is stop him capturing Zelensky and taking him to Moscow? If Trump can do that to Murado, why not Putin to Zelensky? How could Trump complain, having done the exact same thing?

Peace in Ukraine moved further away overnight.

“I want to establish the facts first. I want to speak to President Trump. I want to speak to allies. I can be absolutely clear that we were not involved ... and I always say and believe we should all uphold international law," ~ Sir Kier Starmer, British Prime Minister

From this statement it appears clear that the US didn’t inform any of their overseas allies of the impending operation. This won’t go down well with Britain or with European leaders.

Starmer is a lawyer with an international reputation, and sights the upholding of international law in his statement.

“Ukraine has consistently defended the right of nations to live freely, free of dictatorship, oppression, and human rights violations. The Maduro regime has violated all such principles in every respect.”

“We stand for further developments in accordance with the principles of international law, prioritising democracy, human rights, and the interests of Venezuelans.” ~ Andrii Sybiha, Ukrainian Foreign Minister

While Ukraine condemns the Maduro regime, it also supports the principle of international law. How the attacks in South America will affect peace negotiations, remains to be seen.

China has been conducting war games off the coast of Taiwan, a country they claim as their own. Given the US actions this morning, how could Trump now condemn China making a move on the Taiwanese island?

Other leaders from Iran to Trinidad & Tobago and beyond, have been commenting. The majority seem to be questioning under what international law the United States attacked another sovereign state, removing their head of state and taking him out of the country?

Although some of these countries decry the actions of Maduro, international law is raised by many.

The reason given by Trump, is that Maduro headed a drugs cartel, importing narcotics into the United States. While it is true that some drugs come from Venezuela, it is well known that the volumes from Mexico and Colombia are far higher. Are these two countries now at risk, or is this not about drugs at all, but to do with the US hunger for oil?

The world become a little more unstable this morning.

Subscribe now

Share The Peacock Report

It’s zero degrees in Sofia, Bulgaria’s capital city on New Year’s Day, which heralds major changes in the country.

Bulgaria’s 6.5 million population awoke on the first day of 2026, with a new currency in their pockets. The Euro.

Since 1881, the Lev has been the national currency of what is seen as the poorest country in Europe. A declining population, down from nine million in the late eighties and a country facing a low fertility rate.

The country has leapfrogged richer European countries such as Poland and the Czeh Republic in adopting the Euro.

For the next month, Bulgarians can spend either the Lev or the Euro, with 31 January the last day the old currency can be used. Although payments can be made in Lev during January, change is supposed to be given in Euros.

Bulgaria is the 22nd country to adopt the common Eurozone currency, with some of the population welcoming the change and other saying the Euro has been forced on them.

A referendum was planned to vote for or against the change, but this was rejected by the outgoing government of the time. Bulgaria has held seven elections in the past four years and another is expected in 2026.

Expat Bulgarians are used to the Euro and when sending money home, do so using the currency. Those receiving funds have also become used to dealing with the Euro, so it isn’t completely new to many.

For the past five months, shops have been required to show prices in both Lev and Euros. There has been a fixed rate between the two currencies for many years, set at 1.95583, almost two Lev to the Euro.

Bulgaria will be hoping to emulate the successful change to the Euro, seen in the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. That, rather than the semi-disaster in Italy, which saw the economy stagnate when they changed from Lira.

Any country wishing to join the European Union (EU) is required to adopt the Euro as their currency. This would apply, for instance, to Ukraine should their application ever come to fruition.

A question arises over the United Kingdom should they re-apply to join the EU, as adopting the Euro would also be a requirement. The current temperature for that happening, is the same as the zero degrees in Sofia this morning.

In the meantime, we wish Bulgaria well with their new currency as we start 2026.

Happy New Year.

Subscribe now

Share

The world, well principally the USA, has been on the edge of its seats waiting for the full disclosure from the so called Epstein files.

Disappointment was at an all time high last Friday, when an edited selection of heavily redacted files went public. Far from the openness required by the law enacted for just that purpose, the relatively small release was a bit of a damp squib.

That didn’t hold back the redactor-in-chief bombarding the media with a series of distractions, designed to control the news cycle and move it away from all those black boxes covering up evidence.

Donald Trump is the master of distraction. Here is a selection of his manufactured distractions.

Distraction #1 - Venezuela attacks

Over 100 people have now been killed off the coast of Venezuela in an operation to “stop killing millions of Americans with Fentanyl”. The claim seems to be, that these small boats with limited fuel, were making their way across the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, loaded with drugs. Small boats are unable to make such a journey and the Trump administration have provided no evidence that the boats and people killed, were involved in the drug trade. And what happened to courts of law?

Distraction #2 - Venezuela oil tankers

In an act of international piracy, Trump ordered the seizure of two oil tankers as they left Venezuelan waters. A third is being tracked at this moment. The first, The Skipper, was a “sanctioned vessel” with the Trump administration claiming that the oil was going to be used for importing drugs into the US. Work that one out. The second ship wasn’t sanctioned, but was still seized. Trump has said that the US will probably keep the oil. One question I’ve yet to see in the media, is “where are the kidnapped crews and what will happen to them?”

Distraction #3 - Renaming buildings

For this distraction from the Epstein files (remember them?) Trump adds his name to the Kennedy Memorial Center, making it the “Donald Trump and John. F. Kennedy Memorial Center.” Notice his name is first. And here’s Trump, with a memorial to himself while still alive. This caused a days distraction and ownership of the news cycle.

Distraction #4 - Trump-class warships

This has to be the most bizarre one yet. A new fleet of battleship, known as “Trump-class”. These ships are generally named after states, and at the last count, there were plenty of names available. The Trump-class will be “the fastest, the biggest, and by far, 100 times more powerful”. They are also said to be the best looking. Warships need to be good looking?

Distraction #5 - CBS

Trump wants to control the media and is helping to set up his buddies to own more networks. A CBS edition of the flagship 60 Minutes, was edited to remove a segment critical of the Trump administration over the deportation of people to an El Salvador prison, without trial. Asked to comment ahead of the broadcast, the government declined. This led to the item being pulled, because the administration declined to comment. In effect, the government vetoed the item and if there is something in the future they don’t like, then a quick “no comment” has the power to kill the story. Control of the media.

Distraction #6 - Greenland

Trump has appointed the Republican governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, as the “special envoy” to Greenland. Special envoy isn’t an officially recognised diplomatic position in the Danish supported country. The plan is, that Trump’s man in Nuuk, will arrange for the sale and/or annexation and/or takeover of Greenland, which is “really important and must happen”. Trump has still refused to rule out military action against Greenland, a country though its association with Denmark, is in NATO. One NATO member attacking another NATO member would be ridiculous in the extreme.

Distraction #7 - The White House ballroom

Let’s not go there. Ever.

What’s next?

I started writing this article an hour or more ago, so it has to be time for more madness. What could have been announced while I was distracted by writing? Let’s see:

• “Trump Grand Canyon” - the biggest hole in America

• “Lake Trump is Superior” - at least in his mind

• “We are taking back the Panama Canal” - Shhhh! He seems to have forgotten this one.

• “Trump Bay”, the new name for Guantanamo Bay (remember that?)

• “Trump One” - the former Air Force One

• “TNN” - CNN rebrand when the sale is complete, featuring non-stop Trump news coverage. TBC (CBS) and DTNBC (MSNBC) due in January.

• “Mount Rushmore is to be expanded, you know, a new mountain installed, a really big mountain, the biggest ever mountain actually, to add the bestest ever and most loved president in the history of time.”

I think I need to stop now, before any of these fictitious distractions are read by the Trump administration and turned into reality as a the “biggest and bestist idea yet”.

And finally . . .

Thank for you reading my musings this year and especially to those who financially support my writing. My sincerest thanks.

As we head to towards 2026, the very best wishes for Christmas and the holiday season, however you may celebrate this time of the year.

Subscribe now