The Trawl

Warning - this episode was recorded remotely and there are moments when George sounds like he’s in space. We apologise for the poor sound quality in those moments but he’s so worth listening to hopefully substance makes up for style George Monbiot is a  journalist, author, and environmental and political activist. He writes a regular column for The Guardian and has written several books....

With riots kicking off and more planned for the weekend, Jemma and Marina open with a chat about those who appear more than happy to stoke the flames and the media platforms that do nothing to put out the fires. Speaking of which, Elon Musk has been having online beef with his estranged child, and when he's not doing that he's sharing deepfake videos of Kamala Harris that threaten US democracy. An...

Jemma and Marina felt they couldn't start this episode without mentioning the tragic events in Southport. Three little girls have been murdered and many more children, carers and police officers have been injured. Yet, as Southport grieves and tries to process the atrocity, certain people on the far right have deemed it appropriate to incite violence based on circulated misinformation - a dark day...

And the Republicans go after Kamala's...laugh?! Kamala, Kahmaala, Kohmohla - Jemma and Marina open with a little lesson in how best to pronounce the name of the woman who is getting Republicans all hot under the collar over in the US. But first, domestic issues - with a focus on the Labour rebellion that saw seven Labour MPs lose the whip after voting against the Government in regards to the much...

Biden has stood down! But, before the Trawl ladies get to that, they want to discuss the Crowdstrike bug which hit Microsoft hard. People in offices were crossing their fingers Teams would go down too so they could leave early, some poor souls had their flights cancelled or experienced other huge inconveniences, others didn't even notice. Then, it's off to the States where it's all happening. Or,...

This episode starts with a sobering chat about the recent murder of Carol, Louise and Hannah Hunt. The three women were killed brutally leaving a sister and father behind. Marina and Jemma ponder the fact that a woman is killed by a man, in her own home, every three days. A shocking statistic which surely requires immediate attention.  Then the talk turns to Labour and the good and bad things...

Football isn’t coming home - again. So where are we on Southgate? Is he a legend? Or a roaring disappointment?  And then, where were you when you found out that someone tried to assassinate Trump?  Marina and Jemma delve into what this shocking news might mean. Does it mean the election is in the bag for the Republican Party?  And who is JD Vance and why is his appointment as V...

Labour are off the starting blocks and at quite a pace. Jemma and Marina discuss everything that's happened since the Labour government got into power which, in a nutshell, is more than the Tories have achieved in 14 years. Inspired appointments include putting James Timpson in charge of prisons, Miliband in charge of climate and a Minister for Education who respects teachers. What are the chances...

The first Trawl under a Labour government is here! Jemma and Marina relive the high and low lights from 4th July, particularly enjoying the dynamic between Alastair Campbell and Nadine Dorries on Channel 4 and Andrew Marr's sign off to Mogg. They also say goodbye to some big Tory scalps, wonder at some of the ones remaining and discuss the results and the complex issue of PR. After all, in reality...

Jemma and Marina were thrilled when Labour MP, Jess Phillips, agreed to take time out of her mad diary for a proper chinwag.  The Trawl ladies were fascinated to know how it feels being a female MP during such febrile times and found out what motivates her to keep going. At time of record, Rishi Sunak, hadn't surprised everyone by calling the election so unexpectedly early but Labour were in...

As Independence Day (from the Tories) looms, Jemma and Marina have gone bumper with this extra long Trawl. They start with a footy update and then dive into the post match analysis of... Glastonbury. Why do all the right-wing bell-ends get so triggered by it? What is it about the musical, magical, cultural playground that annoys them so much?  Then, it's into politics we go with a quick round...

England are top of the group in the Euros, two clean sheets, and unbeaten - so why aren't we all ecstatic? Jemma and Marina discuss some of the best reactions to Southgate's 'safe' approach with a self-deprecating treat from Danny Dyer. Then from football to fascism, as the ladies visit the latest public soilings from the man who just makes it up as he goes along - Nigel Farage. They discuss his d...

This episode kicks off with a look at how Starmer and Sunak did on the recent Question Time. We're not saying it went badly for Sunak but the PM was booed very loudly at the end so... And then Jemma and Marina decide to have a flutter. They bet that the Tories will cheat and lie their way right up to the election and it looks like they're both set to win because the latest scandal to hit the belea...

Depressingly, this episode mainly reflects what's dominating the news, the headlines and indeed social media and, it's Farage. The man is everywhere, like a stain you simply can't get rid off, partly because Sunak et al have pandered to him for years.  Marina and Jemma delve into how quite long he's been disrupting from the side-lines with some extraordinary clips to illustrate. Meanwhile, th...

What would you do if you saw Boris Johnson coming out of a bush? It's a startling sight but it could happen if he happens to be promoting one of his columns for The Mail. As for his sister, she definitely won't be in a Lidl but might be in a Sainsbury's, you'll know why when you hear the clip.  Then we head to the campaign trail for 'The Election Section' and Beth Rigby is the latest presente...

Jemma and Marina barely know where to begin. The Trawl content is simply relentless as the campaign trail continues. However, it seems to makes sense to start with the recently announced Tory manifesto and go from there. The hitting the skids type jokes write themselves. Then it's on to Sunak's latest set of gaffes and the heart-wrenching discovery that he didn't have Sky. The poor widdums, how di...

Jemma and Marina are very excited because in this ep, they are starting off with an actual scoop! Rare on The Trawl but stranger things have happened and we wonder if you'll think it demonstrates what Sunak is really like, and that's before we've even started on his D-Day gaffe. Then, the Trawl ladies hear the figure £2000 bandied about any more their heads might explode. Yes, despite Sunak's clai...

It's over the pond we go to see what cheesy wotsit toddler, Trump has been up to... which is being found guilty on 34 counts. The ladies discuss those who leapt to his defence and the common thread that runs through them before finishing with a Trump sandwich: white bread, full of baloney, Russian dressing and a small pickle. And while Boris Johnson is still firmly attached to Trump’s bottom, Nige...

With the election looming, all the political parties are trying to grab headlines. The Tories want your children to sign up, whether they like it or not. If they don't want to do military service they'll be forced to volunteer their weekends, even if they need to be earning.  Rachel Johnson thinks it's a great idea because they could be forced to pick fruit. After all we don't have anyone els...

In this episode, Marina and Jemma meet the person who can, in large part be thanked (blamed?!) for turning their mild interest in politics into a passion - Mr Brexit himself: James O'Brien. The LBC star, journalist and best-selling author of books including his latest, How They Broke Britain, for once finds himself on the opposite side of the interrogating questions. They hear about his...

Broadcaster, Jemma Forte, and political commentator, Marina Purkiss, scroll through Twitter so you don’t have to. Now on Global Player. If you're already enjoying The Trawl, please do leave a rating and a review. And don't forget, you can listen to every episode for free on Global Player. Download it from the App Store, or head to globalplayer.com And it's only Global Player where you'll be able t...

Election is GO! Marina and Jemma happened to be together when the news broke and enjoy sharing what happened next. Then, it's a look back at the most undignified election announcement of all time and what's happened since. The parties have hit the campaign trail running. Although the Tories are looking pretty desolate and have many seats to fill. Still, perhaps in a passive aggressive act of reven...

This Ep was recorded the morning of the election announcement so the Trawl ladies are busy collating all the best reactions for the next episode. This one unpacks a strange week for Suella but before they get into that, they begin their trawl with a wonderful moment from Carol Vorderman who had the Joe Lycett audience whooping with delight.  The students at Cambridge were much quieter when GB...

We love it when politics goes mainstream... And it did this week when Sunak and Starmer decided to appear on Loose Women and Sunday Brunch, respectively. Jemma and Marina discuss how they both fared, and why one of them went viral - probably because he tried to suggest he was fixing child poverty with an Online Safety Bill. Next up are more culture wars as a result of the 72-gender myth which...

Up is down, black is white and now... Blue is red! Because this week, the Labour Party welcomed Tory MP, Natalie Elphicke with open arms, which raised more than just a few eyebrows. Jemma and Marina discuss the mafioso-style tactics from the party of Government to keep defection to a minimum and revisit moments of joy where Tories tie themselves in knots by slating someone - who was one of theirs...