# Ireland abortion referendum 25 May

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ireland-abortion-referendum-25-may/814577>\
**Category:** Politics & Elections\
**Created:** [May 21, 2018, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ireland-abortion-referendum-25-may/814577 "2018-05-21T18:55:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2018, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ireland-abortion-referendum-25-may/814577/61 "2018-05-27T11:54:13Z")

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> [@dalej42](#):
>
> There’s a world of difference between private citizens overtly expressing opinions about an election in another country and governments covertly funding troll armies and fake news.

Indeed: but even the former can backfire (the Guardian launched a campaign to get its UK readers to contact Americans to urge them not to vote for GW Bush’s re-election - that didn’t go down too well).

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**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2018, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ireland-abortion-referendum-25-may/814577/62 "2018-05-27T16:30:34Z")

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> [@Sherrerd](#):
>
> Your comment makes no sense. No one was discussing “the US” trying to influence public opinion in other countries.
> 
> What was actually being discussed was the activity of _private citizens_:
> 
> [highlighting mine]

Perhaps it wasn’t clear, but that’s exactly what I mean by “unofficially”-- i.e., private citizens.

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