Harry Potter author pledges £1m to Scottish anti-independence drive

JK Rowling, an Edinburgh resident, supports Better Together campaign saying that she fears for an independent Scotland in a globalised world.

13:55 11 June 2014

Harry Potter author JK Rowling has donated  £1million to show her support for the Better Together campaign. An Edinburgh resident and a long-standing supporter and donor to the Labour party and to charity, she said that her hesitation has nothing to do with lack of belief in Scotland’s remarkable achievements. 

 

In a statement, she explained: "I came to the question of independence with an open mind and an awareness of the seriousness of what we are being asked to decide.

 

"My hesitance at embracing independence has nothing to do with lack of belief in Scotland’s remarkable people or its achievements. The simple truth is that Scotland is subject to the same 21st-century pressures as the rest of the world.

 

"It must compete in the same global markets, defend itself from the same threats and navigate what still feels like a fragile economic recovery. The more I listen to the yes campaign, the more I worry about its minimisation and even denial of risks.

 

"Whenever the big issues are raised – our heavy reliance on oil revenue if we become independent, what currency we'll use, whether we'll get back into the EU – reasonable questions are drowned out by accusations of 'scaremongering.' 

 

Meanwhile, dramatically differing figures and predictions are being slapped in front of us by both campaigns, so that it becomes difficult to know what to believe."