14 DAY TRIAL // In case you didn't know, the United Kingdom is currently under some political turmoil as Scotland is close to holding a large referendum to see if it will secede from the Union or continue to be part of the UK. Several of the local celebrities have spoken out on the issue, and people on both sides have expressed strong feelings, with their pros and cons.
The latest to make a stand in the Scotish independence is best-selling author J.K. Rowlings, known for her Harry Potter series of children's books. She has recently donated a hefty sum for a foundation called Better Together, aimed at preserving the UK.
Naturally, this has sparked a violent response from many fervent nationalists who have lashed out at the author on social media. The Daily Star reports on some of the harsh words that have been flung at the author who seems to think that things are just perfect the way they are, and Scotland should not be independent.
Ironically, the best-selling author has been living in Scotland for 21 years and even has a degree in Scottish heritage, but she was born in the West Country. The fact that she takes residence in Scotland but speaks against its freedom has not been lost on some people who have lashed out on Twitter: “What a #[expletive] after we gave her shelter in our city when she was a single mum.”
Other names she has been referred to on social media include “Union cow bag” and “disgrace,” almost all of them coming from Scottish nationalists. She has responded to these allegations in a blog post in which she compares these nationalists to the Death Eaters in her Harry Potter books, who hate people without “pure-blood.”
Rowling says that she was concerned with the welfare of Scotland if it left the Union, particularly with the medical research system. She goes on to compare Scotland to a “spouse who looked like walking out, but decided to give things a last go.” From this position, she said, the country could “dictate terms” better than ever.
At the moment, her large donation, which was in the shape of one million pounds sterling, is said to have given new wings to the No Scotland campaign, while the Yes Scotland campaign was proving quite successful with the masses.
Several prominent people from Scottish political life have spoken out against the bashing that Rowling is getting at the moment in the media and said that decent citizens should not be confused with these extreme nationalists who are lashing out hard at any public supporter.
Among the celebrities that have shown their support for the Yes Scotland campaign, that is, the one in favor of the secession, Scottish actor Sean Connery has been the most vocal, advising his countrymen to give their country its freedom back.