The Trawl

Jemma and Marina open with an emotional appeal...For a group of people who feel petrified, forced to flee their homes against their will. They're talking of course, about... non-doms.  Then it's straight into the latest from Liz Truss' deluded book tour in which Jemma and Marina try to outdo each other with the worst clips of our former PM that they can find. They discuss Truss' latest bid to...

Reform have had a fair few struggles with their vetting process but this week have surpassed even themselves by cancelling an inactive candidate who turned out to be.....dead. A pulse is probably necessary, even at Reform.  Then, it's time to look at the papers and, despite the prospect of WW3, The Mail are focusing on Angela Rayner and what she 'might' or might not owe in capital gains tax....

Just when you thought the Glaswegian Wonka was the worst ever entertainment experience, along comes Nigel Farage with his 60th birthday party celebration...  Jemma and Marina discuss the bizarre goings-on from the bash and what one is supposed to do with a Farage-shaped ice luge.  Then it's onto the latest social calamity X post from the Govt of the second most powerful country in t...

Financial advice from Sunak, anyone? Because that's what was offered by our PM in his latest comms disaster video put out by No.10. The ladies discuss the desperate attempts by the PM to shift public perception, as well as the very obvious flaw. Then it's onto "courageous and fulsome" William Wragg - whose latest accolade includes being praised by the Chancellor of the Exchequer for sending photos...

Tory MP for Uxbridge is campaigning hard for a fish and chip shop in the centre of Uxbridge, and that's despite refusing planning permission for one in 2019. Marina and Jemma rarely start an episode with their head in their hands but this time they do. And their despair isn't going away because this ep has sewage at it's heart and some dismal facts about how badly privatisation has failed us all.&...

Jemma and Marina kick off with a quick look at the latest MRP poll as reported in The Times, which doesn't read well for Sunak and Co. For some unknown reason, Rishi is still laughing however, as are the Question Time audience when Esther McVey is asked about her role as 'Minister of Common Sense.'  Though arguably X (formerly known as Twitter) could do with some sort of Common Sense Tsar bec...

It's another jam-packed pod... opening with furious reaction to Nike's England flag rebrand and some commentary from Marina which resulted in an Express news article dedicated just to her. Then it's onto Owen Jones, who this week announced he was leaving the Labour party, to a very mixed reaction. Marina and Jemma explore their own thoughts and feelings on this, because despite the polling and the...

Did you even realise the LibDems had held their Spring Conference? No, nor did Jemma and Marina. So in a bid to readdress the balance, the ladies open with a rather compelling snippet from leader, Ed Davey. Then it's onto a rare moment where Keir Starmer offers hope (but careful, it's the hope that kills you), before delving into GB News' latest accolade: yet another strongly worded letter from Of...

Does anyone else have a strong sense of déjà vu? Because it appears it's that time of year again: When the Tories decide to ditch their useless leader. Yep, because as Sunak continues to take his taxpayer-funded chopper on tour to tell us all that his plan that clearly isn't working is working, in other corners of the Tory party, the penny is dropping... Penny Mordaunt to be precise.  Th...

Jemma and Marina are delighted to speak to LBC presenter and writer, Natasha Devon, about the time she was fired by the government, why the younger generation prioritise work/life balance and why callers need to be ‘match fit’ if they want to talk about Meghan.  Plus, Marina and Jemma spring a round of Education Secretary bingo on her. A wonderful chat with a friend of the pod. Enjoy! Natasha...

Jemma and Marina pay tribute to Theresa May who will be standing down at the next election. If by pay tribute you mean, remembering what she was known for re Windrush, the Hostile Environment and Brexit, amongst other 'hits.'  And then it's back to the big political news of the week. Lee Anderson is off to Reform. Getting suspended and then being offered a lot of money had nothing to do with...

Murdoch is engaged again. Marina and Jemma ponder this romantic news before delving into the aftermath of last week's budget. If the Tories had been hoping for a bounce in the polls, their political hearts will have dropped when they saw the latest results from Westminster Voting Intentions. Turns out, 2p off your NI hasn't had the cut through they were hoping for...funny that. The Trawl ladies tr...

It's budget day! And at time of record, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt had just dropped what the ladies hope will be the last Tory budget. Imagine that...  Jemma and Marina give some initial reactions to Hunt's speech which opened with lies, continued with lies, and then finished with lies - because if there's one thing Hunt is good at, it's consistency.  The ladies then move from the goings-on...

Like Mariah, Celine and Whitney, Tory bells Lee, Suella and Liz need only their first name for instant recognition. But sadly, instead of singing absolute belters, this trio of wrong' uns are spewing hate, division and stoking fear. This pod is sectioned, as some might suggest our trio should be, to allow for individual dissection of the latest line-crossing of these three Tories, who are seemingl...

Some of the London Underground tube lines have had a rebrand and one of the commentators at the Daily Telegraph isn’t happy. Apparently the Lionesses, the Suffragettes and the Windrush generation are all ‘hard left’. So there you go. If you find yourself in the capital and use the tube, you’re basically a communist.  Obviously it’s all Sadiq Kahn’s fault and yet what Conservative HQ have trie...

Jemma and Marina open with a tribute to the late, great BBC Radio host, Steve Wright who we lost last week - Sunday Love Songs will never be the same... Then... Should the ladies try to be more poetic when talking down the Tories? Bells and bollards are fine, but perhaps they would fare better taking inspiration from the Nigerians. There's a lot of fun to be had when the ladies put this into pract...

Jemma and Marina were thrilled to speak with the leader of the opposition AKA Carol Vorderman.  They talk corruption, boobs, bums and politics. A juicy Trawl for your delectation. Enjoy! Thank you for sharing and do tweet us @MarinaPurkiss @jemmaforte @TheTrawlPodcast Patreon https://patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@TheTrawl If you’ve even mildly enjoyed The Trawl,...

Grab your popcorn, we're off to Pop Con...Jemma and Marina take you through the lowlights of the Popular Conservatism conference - the latest Tory splinter group headed up, unironically, by the most unpopular Conservative known to man, Liz Truss. After realizing they are both "left-wing extremists" in Truss's power-sodden mind, Jemma and Marina discuss how after the anti-elites Pop Con conference,...

We'd bet you a £1000 you've heard about the bet between Sunak and Piers Morgan, only there's a cost of living crisis and we're not that crass. Yes, the Prime Minister of Britain actually thought it was appropriate to allow himself to be boxed in by Morgan to the point where he shook his hand on television, betting that he'd get a plane load of refugees into the air. A new low. His defence? I was t...

In this ep Jemma and Marina are 'celebrating' the fourth anniversary of Brexit by listening to some old clips of people who were certain it would be marvellous. The Trawl ladies were tempted to exchange gifts but in order to stick to the theme, they'd have needed a ring which turns your finger green or a carriage clock that doesn't work. They particularly enjoyed the compare and contrast moment of...

The Tory bellendery is strong in this ep...  First, we have the audacity of a Govt known for 'losing' its WhatsApps announcing its new Govt WhatsApp, followed by a series of car crash interviews that are almost painful to listen to - a pile-up if you like.  Staring with... Culture Secretary, Lucy Frazer, the little girl who cried bias. Or was it perception of bias? Or evidence of bias? Same Same. ...

Jemma and Marina decide this episode is an 'eat your greens' type of ep because what's happened in Port Talbot certainly isn't funny. Around 3000 people are set to lose their jobs when the blast furnaces are closed so the tone is perhaps more serious than usual because the Trawl ladies really want to look at how it's got to this point. After all, Sunak gave Tata Steel £500 million to 'protect jobs...

Another week of Tory psychodrama, another week of Tories making utter fools of themselves. It's hard to know where to start, so Jemma and Marina intro with a gem from Tory mayoral candidate, Susan Mason and her Essex nightclub howler. Then it's a quick chat about THAT YouGov poll - and how it was oh so perfectly timed to collide with the Rwanda vote. And my word...what a kerfuffle. All that noise,...

Why can’t every freeborn Briton burn his Christmas tree in  his  own hearth?  Jemma and Marina ponder how this question, that is on precisely nobody's lips, was chosen by blovitaing bell Boris Johnson as the hill to die on for his £15k per column article in the Daily Mail. You've got to wonder if they're having buyer's remorse yet.  Then brace yourselves, as it's onto our new Brexit benefit! Move...

Comedian and writer Jen Brister eschews X but is massive on Instagram where clips of her brilliant stand-up frequently go viral. Jemma and Marina love her so much, they've both been to seen her live so imagine their delight when they found out Jen, not only listens to The Trawl, but also can't stand the Tories. Inevitably, politics is at the forefront of their minds in this get together, but there...