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Thursday’s election may prove to be a hidden victory for libertarians. I’m not saying that because I’ve hallucinated the Ontario Libertarian Party won any seats (I’m sober, and it hasn’t). And I’m not saying that because I’m confident that Doug Ford — the leader of the party that will form Ontario’s majority government — is a principled champion of freedom.

To me, the hope comes from the recoiling I’ve been watching, especially on social media. The Progressive Conservatives won about 40 per cent of the popular vote; it seems fair to say, though, that Doug Ford has won the hearts of about 10 per cent of the people I follow on Twitter and perhaps even fewer media commentators and columnists.

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The rest of them are horrified, repelled or at the very least disheartened by the notion of Doug Ford as premier of Ontario, and not without good reason. But having people with influence and prominence horrified, repelled or disheartened by a political leader can be a very healthy thing — in fact it may be the only thing that really forces non-libertarians to think seriously about how to structure laws and policies to minimize the damage any one government can do.