The cause of Scottish nationalism inspires impassioned debate. It is dismaying when that passion takes the form of online abuse, such as that suffered by the author JK Rowling when she tweeted her support for the Scottish rugby team during their recent heartbreak in the world cup quarter finals. Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister of Scotland, is right publicly to condemn such abuse and point out that those who do not support independence are not anti-Scottish.
Chief among Rowling’s abusers was Stuart Campbell, a former video games journalist, leading cybernat and long-term resident of Bath, in Somerset. He questioned Rowling’s right to support Scotland “because you don’t think we’re a nation at all”, a reference to her support for the Better Together campaign. As a political argument, telling your opponents where to go is less than sophisticated. Having suffered appalling trolling as a major donor to Better Together, Rowling is experienced at dealing with it. She responded crisply that having lived and paid tax in Scotland for more than 20 years, she was well aware that Scotland was a nation. It was, she added, a country to which she had contributed more than bile.
Ms Sturgeon is a keen user of social media and has said that she believes it democratises public debate. However, this is not the first time she has had to distance herself from the more fervent cybernat trolls. In June she pledged to discipline them if necessary. During the general election she was forced to deny any association with Wings Over Scotland, the blog written by Mr Campbell. A year on from the Scottish independence referendum, it is worth reiterating that, as JK Rowling proves, support for the Union is perfectly compatible with being a patriotic Scot. The vitriol thrown by Mr Campbell and his ilk at those who disagree has no place in society or online.