Stormont Sources

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

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.

****
Click stormontsources.com to listen and for all of our episodes

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.

The Sources Podcast hosts come together for a special New Year 2026 UK politics preview, analysing what could be the most volatile year in British politics for a generation.

With local elections in England, Scottish Parliament elections, Senedd elections in Wales, and mounting pressure on the Northern Ireland Executive, this episode explores how the rise of Reform UK, growing voter fragmentation, and Labour’s governing challenges could reshape the UK’s political map.

🎙️ Featuring voices from:

Whitehall Sources

Holyrood Sources

Stormont Sources

Senedd Sources

🔍 In this episode:

Is Reform UK becoming a permanent force in British politics?

Can Keir Starmer’s Labour government survive a brutal May election?

Why the Greens and Gaza independents are threatening Labour in cities

Will SNP dominance in Scotland finally crack — and if so, who replaces them?

Could Plaid Cymru lead Wales for the first time?

How stable is Stormont, and could it collapse again before 2027?

What a fragmented UK means for the future of the Union

This is essential listening for anyone trying to understand UK elections 2026, Nigel Farage’s influence, Labour’s political future, and the growing instability across Britain’s devolved governments.

📌 Subscribe for weekly insider analysis from Westminster, Holyrood, Stormont and the Senedd.
****
Click stormontsources.com to listen and for all of our episodes

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.

People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll joins Stormont Sources for one of the most candid political interviews of the year.

In this final episode of Stormont Sources for 2025, host David McCann, alongside Tim Cairns and Michael McKernan, speaks to Gerry Carroll MLA about:
🔴 Gaza and the Palestine debate at Stormont
🔴 The controversial tweet that made him a lightning rod
🔴 Sinn Féin, Brexit and the EU referendum fallout
🔴 Why the radical left has struggled to grow in Northern Ireland
🔴 Housing, Lough Neagh and working-class politics
🔴 Unionism, nationalism and the constitutional question
🔴 Ukraine, NATO and EU militarisation
🔴 Whether Stormont can ever deliver real change

This episode explores 10 years of People Before Profit in Stormont, the limits of devolved power, and why Northern Ireland politics remains so polarised.

🎧 Stormont Sources takes you inside Stormont and the decisions shaping Northern Ireland.

📩 Get involved
WhatsApp: 0333 404 6507 (start with Stormont)
Email: [email protected]
👍 Like, subscribe & turn on notifications for weekly Northern Ireland politics.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.