I think it's also worth noting the south's direct democracy has passed some honestly insane bills recently.
Slate of “Medieval” Legislation Passes in the South
By Forumlurker
ATLANTA, GA. — Over the past several months, numerous controversial bills have passed in the South over calls into question regarding their constitutionality, creating chaos as local officials have attempted to reconcile the stark differences between Atlasian law, Southern law, and even their own morals.
The list of laws passed which have received scrutiny by human rights groups is long, but the ones which stand out the most in prominence thus far include the law which overturned women’s suffrage, the law which banned “bastardy” (children of unmarried couples) and a law which effectively has banned “moors, Bosniaks, and gypsies” from entering the region entirely. Of interesting note is the current Atlasian president who himself has publicly identified as Bosniak in past statements and former Upper South Senator LT who also has identified as such, leading some experts to wonder whether some of the new legislation was driven out of political malice.
However, as many in the South have learned, it is one thing to pass a law and another to enforce one. Various interpretations and degrees of enforcement of these new laws has rendered the South essentially a patchwork of kingdoms, each one with varying degrees of restrictiveness on the aforementioned activities. A plurality of municipalities simply have outright ignored the laws, while some such as Fulton County have even outright declared these regional laws null and void, petitioning the federal government to crack down on “human rights abuses.”
As a result of these laws, many companies have begun withdrawing operations and sales from the South. Industrial giants such as Google, Walmart, McDonald’s, and Wells Fargo have announced plans to downsize or completely withdraw activities within the Southern Region over concerns over these new laws and possible liabilities for their company image. Foreign reactions have also been swift. Russia has officially sanctioned Atlasia over these new laws, labelling them as genocide of ethnic minorities. The EU has considered but has not acted upon similar calls by many left-leaning MEPs. Furthermore, countries such as Rwanda which had previously committed to gradually improving LGBTQ rights have since backtracked in a series of public statements, citing “sheer hypocrisy” by the Atlasian government. Although transparent figures have become difficult to source at this point in time, the GDP of the Southern Region could shrink by over 5% in the next year, with a projected net population loss as many choose to move elsewhere for employment and living.
In response, Southern civilians opposed to these acts have begun forming militias of their own, with local SNP politicians having seen their houses burned by these groups. Meanwhile, several counties in Southeast Kentucky are considering officially seceding from the Southern Region at this point in time.
