The Trawl

Marina and Jemma are back in the trenches, sifting through the chaos so you don’t have to.

In this episode, why Keir Starmer can be both competent and deeply frustrating, a baffling “free energy bills” stunt linked to Nigel Farage, and yet more questions swirling around Reform’s candidates and Tice's company tax affairs.

There’s also a diplomatic cringe moment featuring David Lammy and JD Vance, a Tory hypocrisy masterclass, and a reminder that British politics remains, above all else, spectacularly weird.

Plus: unconscious bias checks, Brexit queue rage, a genuinely heartening vox pop, and an underrated section that delivers exactly what it promises.

It’s messy, it’s ranty, it’s occasionally unhinged. It’s The Trawl.

Thank you for sharing and please do follow us @MarinaPurkiss @jemmaforte @TheTrawlPodcast

Patreon
https://patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast

Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/@TheTrawl

Twitter
https://twitter.com/TheTrawlPodcast

If you’ve even mildly enjoyed The Trawl, you’ll love the unfiltered, no-holds-barred extras from Jemma & Marina over on Patreon, including:

• Exclusive episodes of The Trawl Goss – where Jemma and Marina spill backstage gossip, dive into their personal lives, and often forget the mic is on
• Early access to The Trawl Meets…
• Glorious ad-free episodes

Plus, there’s a bell-free community of over 3,300 legends sparking brilliant chat.

And it’s your way to support the pod which the ladies pour their hearts, souls (and occasional anxiety) into. All for your listening pleasure and reassurance that through this geopolitical s**tstorm… you’re not alone.

Come join the fun:

https://www.patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This Trawl begins, as you do, with Melania Trump making a deeply strange, entirely unprompted statement insisting she has “nothing to do with Epstein”, a denial so out of nowhere it immediately raises more questions than it answers.

And somehow, that’s just the start.

Because this week also brings Donald Trump recasting himself as Jesus in a social media post that’s as revealing as it is absurd, while the Pope steps into the global conversation - a reminder of how power, influence and image still intersect on the world stage.

Meanwhile, in Lebanon, the situation continues to deteriorate with escalating violence and humanitarian consequences that should be leading the news, but aren’t.
From surreal distractions to stories of real-world consequence, Jemma and Marina track what gets amplified, what gets ignored, and why.

Because when the headlines veer from messianic self-posting to pre-emptive denials, it’s worth asking what we’re not being made to look at.

Thank you for sharing and please do follow us @MarinaPurkiss @jemmaforte @TheTrawlPodcast

Patreon
https://patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast

Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/@TheTrawl

Twitter
https://twitter.com/TheTrawlPodcast

If you’ve even mildly enjoyed The Trawl, you’ll love the unfiltered, no-holds-barred extras from Jemma & Marina over on Patreon, including:

• Exclusive episodes of The Trawl Goss – where Jemma and Marina spill backstage gossip, dive into their personal lives, and often forget the mic is on
• Early access to The Trawl Meets…
• Glorious ad-free episodes

Plus, there’s a bell-free community of over 3,300 legends sparking brilliant chat.

And it’s your way to support the pod which the ladies pour their hearts, souls (and occasional anxiety) into. All for your listening pleasure and reassurance that through this geopolitical s**tstorm… you’re not alone.

Come join the fun:

https://www.patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marina and Jemma dive into Hungarian celebrations. After 16 years of authoritarian rule, Viktor Orbán is gone and the scenes coming out of Budapest were unreal. Thousands took to the streets to celebrate Péter Magyar's win. But what does it actually mean for Europe, Ukraine, and the wider populist movement?

From there, it’s straight into the latest Trump madness, including contradictory claims of 'victory', escalating tensions with Iran, and the now-infamous 'blockade of a blockade.' As ever, the gap between rhetoric and reality is doing some heavy lifting.

Plus: JD Vance’s less-than-helpful interventions (chocolate teapot anyone?) diplomacy via UFC appearances, and the internet turning global instability into top-tier memes.
It’s geopolitics, but make it unhinged.

Thank you for sharing and please do follow us @MarinaPurkiss @jemmaforte @TheTrawlPodcast

Patreon
https://patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast

Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/@TheTrawl

Twitter
https://twitter.com/TheTrawlPodcast
If you’ve even mildly enjoyed The Trawl, you’ll love the unfiltered, no-holds-barred extras from Jemma & Marina over on Patreon, including:

• Exclusive episodes of The Trawl Goss – where Jemma and Marina spill backstage gossip, dive into their personal lives, and often forget the mic is on
• Early access to The Trawl Meets…
• Glorious ad-free episodes

Plus, there’s a bell-free community of over 3,300 legends sparking brilliant chat.

And it’s your way to support the pod which the ladies pour their hearts, souls (and occasional anxiety) into. All for your listening pleasure and reassurance that through this geopolitical s**tstorm… you’re not alone.

Come join the fun:

https://www.patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s been one of those weeks where, every time you think it can’t escalate further… it absolutely does.

Jemma and Marina mull over the ceasefire which lasted all of five minutes due to Israel bombing Lebanon and vent their frustration at Starmer and Cooper who haven't yet condemned the atrocities.

Plus: firings, firings, more firings. Pam Bondi has gone and so have some of the most senior generals in the US army. They discuss the subsequent appointments, and examine the kind of political logic that only works if no one asks questions.

It’s messy, it’s infuriating, and yet there are still some moments of levity.

The Trawl ladies have worked out how to reply to a simple 'how are you?' It's 'All things considered?… fine.'

Thank you for sharing and please do follow us @MarinaPurkiss @jemmaforte @TheTrawlPodcast

Patreon
https://patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast

Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/@TheTrawl

Twitter
https://twitter.com/TheTrawlPodcast
If you’ve even mildly enjoyed The Trawl, you’ll love the unfiltered, no-holds-barred extras from Jemma & Marina over on Patreon, including:

• Exclusive episodes of The Trawl Goss – where Jemma and Marina spill backstage gossip, dive into their personal lives, and often forget the mic is on
• Early access to The Trawl Meets…
• Glorious ad-free episodes

Plus, there’s a bell-free community of over 3,300 legends sparking brilliant chat.

And it’s your way to support the pod which the ladies pour their hearts, souls (and occasional anxiety) into. All for your listening pleasure and reassurance that through this geopolitical s**tstorm… you’re not alone.

Come join the fun:

https://www.patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s been one of those weeks where, every time you think it can’t escalate further… it absolutely does.

Jemma and Marina mull over the ceasefire which lasted all of five minutes due to Israel bombing Lebanon and vent their frustration at Starmer and Cooper who haven't yet condemned the atrocities.

Plus: firings, firings, more firings. Pam Bondi has gone and so have some of the most senior generals in the US army. They discuss the subsequent appointments, and examine the kind of political logic that only works if no one asks questions.

It’s messy, it’s infuriating, and yet there are still some moments of levity.

The Trawl ladies have worked out how to reply to a simple 'how are you?' It's 'All things considered?… fine.'

Thank you for sharing and please do follow us @MarinaPurkiss @jemmaforte @TheTrawlPodcast

Patreon
https://patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast

Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/@TheTrawl

Twitter
https://twitter.com/TheTrawlPodcast
If you’ve even mildly enjoyed The Trawl, you’ll love the unfiltered, no-holds-barred extras from Jemma & Marina over on Patreon, including:

• Exclusive episodes of The Trawl Goss – where Jemma and Marina spill backstage gossip, dive into their personal lives, and often forget the mic is on
• Early access to The Trawl Meets…
• Glorious ad-free episodes

Plus, there’s a bell-free community of over 3,300 legends sparking brilliant chat.

And it’s your way to support the pod which the ladies pour their hearts, souls (and occasional anxiety) into. All for your listening pleasure and reassurance that through this geopolitical s**tstorm… you’re not alone.

Come join the fun:

https://www.patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcast?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.