Is the South seceding? And does the federal executive/legislative branches support it?

[Pericles]

The amendment does not remove the South from Atlasia automatically, it merely calls on Southern Legislators to begin negotiations with Nyman on the South's status within Atlasia. It also leaves open the possibility of a "soft exit", under which the South could retain voting rights but be exempt from many federal laws. I think it's far too early to tell what the final outcome of this will be. Given the lack of energy many people seem to put in this game, it could end up just fizzling out and resulting in literally nothing.

As far as the positions of those of us not in the South, I think we're all kind of bewildered that it actually passed and figuring out what should happen next.

I strongly oppose giving them special status either within Atlasia or as a 'partnership' betwen countries. The federal government needs to take a stand here and make them accept they will lose the benefits of being in Atlasia if they leave.

[Pericles]

While this is uncharted territory and I cannot predict anything with complete certainty, I think I can confidently say Yankee and Cao both have huge incentives to make it be known at least privately that independence is off the table, and that greater autonomy is clearly something that the South's regional leadership can at least credibly claim a mandate of some kind for. But that does not mean that it will inevitably happen. Terra incognita, everyone!

I've been hearing whispers to the contrary with regard to our current President. Granted, it is hearsay and I cannot speak for him personally, so I welcome public forum clarification on the matter.

Yankee and I have been dueling for more than a decade, but we do have a core of commonalities and I feel confident in saying that the Past, Present and/or Future King of the Federalist Party would never endorse outright succession under any circumstances.

I was assuming that since the Federalist Party is basically at least ordinarily unelectable without its Southern voters, there's no way the President would allow the South to leave. But I don't know Cao as well as I know Yankee, so...

It was pretty telling to see people like Yankee and WM voting nay on the 8th amendment. I feel like people are right when they say it hasn't been debated and that people tried to pass it without making much noise and without clarifying what it means or what they want to do.

I get the feeling there was a secret campaign for it in Conservacord but there was no debate on this board or even in the CoD which is nuts.