Harry Potter author tries to calm the heated passions of the Scottish independence referendum

JK Rowling calls for 'reason not ranting' in Scottish independence debate

JK Rowling’s intervention came as the polls narrowed with just 11 days to go before voters in Scotland decide whether to separate from the rest of the UK and become an independent country Photo: REX

By Tim Ross, Political correspondent

The Telegraph - 06 Sep 2014

JK Rowling tried to calm the heated passions of the Scottish independence referendum campaign on Saturday, urging both sides to debate with “reason not ranting”.

The Harry Potter author said that while she believed the United Kingdom should stay together, those who took the opposing view were simply “passionate” about an important issue and “not all haters”.

Rowling’s intervention came shortly before a poll put the Yes campaign in the lead for the first time ahead of the September 18 vote to decide whether Scotland should separate from the rest of the UK.

A YouGov survey for the Sunday Times found that the pro-independence campaign, led by the Scottish first minister Alex Salmond, had a two point lead of 51 per cent over the unionists’ 49 per cent.  
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