DUP & Sinn Féin Slide, Budget Chaos & MLAs’ Christmas Recess

The latest University of Liverpool poll paints a troubling picture for Stormont’s governing parties, with Sinn Féin and the DUP both losing ground, smaller parties rising, and the combined dominance of the two biggest parties falling below 45%.In this episode of Stormont Sources, David McCann is joined by Tim Cairns (former DUP Special Adviser) and Michael McKernan (former SDLP Special Adviser) to break down what the poll really means for the 2026 Assembly election, unionism, nationalism, Alliance, the Greens, TUV, and People Before Profit.The panel also digs into:Why a multi-year Stormont budget looks unlikely before ChristmasHow a £400m overspend is already locked inThe looming crisis around public sector pay parityWhether Stormont’s month-long Christmas recess is storing up bad legislation later in the mandateWhy Northern Ireland’s law-making process is producing poorly scrutinised lawsWith Stormont facing shrinking legislative time, stalled reform, and rising voter frustration, this episode asks a blunt question: Is devolution delivering?📌 Subscribe for weekly analysis of Northern Ireland politics📩 Join the mailing list: stormontsources.com📺 Watch full episodes & clips on YouTube🐦 Follow and comment on X & TikTok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.