EXCLUSIVE: NI is now 500 days without a functioning Assembly
Public fury as still no sign of local democracy rising from the ashes
It's a milestone few wanted to see, but the power-sharing impasse has now entered its 500th day. Our Special Correspondent DAMIEN EDGAR took to the streets of Northern Ireland to gauge public reaction and ask what happens next
Efforts to restore devolution currently lie in tatters...
And after an astonishing 500 days without an Executive, Northern Ireland does not appear to be any closer to business at usual at Stormont.
Indeed, if the views of the NI electorate are anything to go by, the return of local democracy is a long way off.
The general mood is one of anger - with many calling for direct rule to help ease the growing crisis across our sectors.
One man in Belfast said: "It does not annoy me - when they (the politicians) were there they did not do anything anyway."
A woman added: "I think people here are used to people not being able to work together but we still vote for the parties who do not work together."
Another woman told us that the only option at this stage was "direct rule".
For voters the same issues were cropping up time and again, such as hospital waiting lists, school places and a lack of local decision making.
Civil servants have been running Northern Ireland's rudderless public services since the last DUP/Sinn Fein-led coalition imploded last January.
That rift subsequently widened to take in more long-standing disputes over language, social issues and the legacy of the Troubles.