Stormont Sources

Two years after devolution returned, has the Stormont Executive actually delivered for Northern Ireland?
David McCann is joined by former Special Advisers Tim Cairns (DUP) and Michael McKernan (SDLP) to assess the record of the O’Neill–Pengelly Executive — from childcare and health waiting lists to major project delays, civil service power, and whether Stormont ministers are really in control.
They debate:
Has the Stormont Executive achieved anything significant?
Why major Northern Ireland projects keep stalling
Are civil servants running departments instead of ministers?
Is Stormont about to rush bad legislation before the next election?
Why the political tone at Stormont is deteriorating
The controversial suspension of TUV MLA Timothy Gaston
Did the Assembly overreact — or is political conduct getting worse?
With the next Assembly election approaching, is Stormont finally finding its footing — or drifting again?
PLUS: Inside discussion on how policy really gets made behind the scenes in Northern Ireland departments.
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In this episode of Stormont Sources, David McCann, Michael McKernan and Tim Cairns analyse the two stories dominating Stormont this week — from a revealing LucidTalk poll to the political fallout over Gordon Lyon's controversial Facebook post.

- The LucidTalk poll explained: winners, losers and warning signs
- Why Alliance and the SDLP are fighting
- What Jon Burrows’ leadership means for the Ulster Unionist Party
- Has the Is pre-election phase already begun at Stormant?
- And did Gordon Lyons' Facebook post really cross the line?
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is Stormont broken — or can it still be fixed?
In this episode of Stormont Sources, Alliance MLA for South Belfast Kate Nicholl delivers one of the most candid insider accounts yet of life inside the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Kate reflects on:
Entering Stormont during collapse
Balancing politics, motherhood, and public service
Why Assembly politics feels “nasty” and directionless
The toll dysfunction takes on public trust
Why committees work — but the Chamber often doesn’t
Structural reform, data-driven policy, and long-term thinking
Whether she will run again in the next Assembly election
We also debate:
🔹 Unionist Unity — can the DUP, UUP and TUV really cooperate?
🔹 Gavin Robinson’s olive branch to new UUP leader John Burrows
🔹 Whether a single unionist Westminster party is realistic
🔹 Succession planning inside the DUP
🔹 Why Stormont struggles to deliver legislation
🔹 Listener questions on committees, scrutiny and reform
With David McCann, Tim Cairns (former DUP Special Adviser), and Michael McKernan (former SDLP Special Adviser), this episode goes deep inside the personalities, structures and failures shaping Northern Ireland politics.
📌 Stormont Sources is Northern Ireland’s most-listened-to political panel podcast.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Stormont Sources, David McCann and former special advisers Tim Cairns and Michael McKernan break down the biggest political stories at Stormont.

🎙️ In this episode:
Is Jon Burrows set to become UUP leader unopposed?
Would a UUP leadership contest help or harm unionism?
Is so-called “liberal unionism” finished in Northern Ireland?
Can John O’Dowd’s multi-year Stormont budget survive executive opposition?
Are cuts to health and education unavoidable?
Should the Ulster Banner be replaced at the Commonwealth Games?

We unpack the real power struggles inside the Ulster Unionist Party, the growing budget crisis at Stormont, and why symbols and flags still dominate politics in Northern Ireland in 2026.
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In this episode of the Stormont Sources podcast, John Burrows discusses his candidacy for the leadership of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and his vision for the future of unionism in Northern Ireland. He emphasizes a fact-based approach to politics, moving beyond traditional ideological labels, and advocates for a strong unionist position. Burrows addresses key social issues, including assisted dying and equality, and expresses a commitment to engaging in the constitutional debate surrounding the union. He outlines his policy differences with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and stresses the importance of collaboration within the executive. Education reform and the need for an integrated society are also highlighted as critical areas for development.

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Welcome inside politics in Northern Ireland. Listen to the podcast which brings you analysis, insight and experience from Stormont. Join journalist, David McCann, plus Tim Cairns, a former Special Advisor to Peter Robinson and Head of Policy for the DUP and Micheal McKernan, a former Special Advisor in the SDLP worked in the Executive from 2007-2016.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.