After a recent referendum vote pushed forward the U.K.'s decision to leave the European Union, a lot of people — namely, the 48 percent who voted to remain — were not happy. One such unhappy person, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, talked Brexit on Twitter. Creating a new hashtag in response to UKIP leader Nigel Farage's assertion that the Brexit vote was "a victory for ... decent people," Rowling proclaimed she was "[p]roud to be part of #TheIndecentMinority."
Recently, Scotland faced a vote to leave or remain in the U.K. In 2014, with strong arguments on either side, the country decided to remain a part of the United Kingdom, and dreams of Scottish independence were put away for another time. Today, it seems that time has come.
Two years ago, Rowling was anti-Scottish independence, with a gentle and practical argument to support her beliefs. Now, as Scotland — who overwhelmingly voted to stay in the E.U. — gears up for another referendum on their presence within the U.K., Rowling says she believes independence is nigh. "Goodbye, UK [sic]," she tweeted, before going on to say that "Scotland will seek independence now. [Former U.K. Prime Minister David] Cameron's legacy will be breaking up two unions. Neither needed to happen."
Scotland has to work fast, as E.U. leaders have wasted no time in asking for the U.K.'s swift departure. Once the U.K. invokes Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, it will have two years to negotiate the terms of its withdrawal. Now that Cameron has stepped down, that duty falls to the next U.K. Prime Minister.
The E.U.'s demands struck some Brexiters, who expected to drag out the process of exiting the E.U., as childish or unreasonable. Rowling had a barb in reserve for these folks, likening them to " the cheating man shocked he can't stay in the spare room for 2 years while he sorts himself out."
For more of J.K. Rowling's response to Brexit, check out her Twitter feed. U.K. readers can show their displeasure with the referendum results by using Rowling's hashtag, #TheIndecentMinority.
