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Photo by Cole Burston/The Canadian Press/File

But nor is the booze distraction particularly effective. The supermarket expansion made life a little more convenient for a fair number of people, and then Ontarians quite rightly handed the Liberals their collective rear end on a crystal platter. Likewise, no one is being “distracted” from the PC government’s policies and their effects: larger class sizes, the furor over funding for autism treatment, the expensive war on the federal carbon tax, cuts to municipal public health departments, the planned takeover of Toronto’s subway — the list goes on and on.

Those who can’t manage to address the things on that list without rolling their eyes at tailgate parties are literally doing what they claim the government wants them to do — getting distracted. They are often coming off as impossibly elitist, which is music to a populist government’s ears. Reacting to cuts to provincially funded library services, pollster Frank Graves tweeted as follows: “The good news is the funds are being redirected to horses, tail gate parties and buck-a-beer.” Former Liberal cabinet minister Glen Murray chimed in: “Want to know how to become a @fordnation supporter? Drink twice as much & read half as much & you will start seeing the world his way.”

They might as well have donated to the Tories’ re-election campaign.

The government is not proposing to fund tailgate parties. Legalizing tailgate parties will cost the taxpayer roughly $0, as will allowing cities to permit drinking in parks, as will allowing liquor service at 9 a.m. (which was recently requested by Toronto City Council), as did extending retail hours. It is easy. It is not being done instead of anything else. It is but a modest expansion of Ontarians’ freedoms, to accommodate those who enjoy tailgating, or wine with a picnic, or a cheeky drink with brunch. If you can’t manage to keep your booze hole shut and let your fellow Ontarians enjoy life as they please, at no cost to yourself, then you shouldn’t be surprised if you struggle to convince some of your fellow Ontarians of what’s “really important.”

• Email: cselley@nationalpost.com | Twitter: cselley