WAND WAVING

JK Rowling Against Scotland Independence

Donates $1.7 million.

Sometimes when a spell won’t do, cold, hard cash will suffice. J.K. Rowling, the stupendously rich author of the Harry Potter series, has donated £1 million, or roughly $1.67 million, to the campaign against Scottish independence, which polls have shown is trailing proponents of the move. Rowling, who has lived in Scotland for 21 years, and plans “to remain here for the rest of my life” said in a statement, “The more I listen to the ‘Yes’ campaign, the more I worry about its minimization and even denial of risks.” She also accused the pre-independence campaign of demonizing its opposition, claiming, “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 ‘scare-mongering.’” Scotland will hold a vote Sept. 18 to determine independence from the U.K.