These are taken from an interview with Rupert Murdoch in Media Guardian published on 2006-10-08

(you may need to register to read the whole thing)
http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,,1890505,00.html

Now for years (perhaps influenced by Spitting Image puppets of him!) I had thought of Murdoch as a brash Australian “larrikin/redneck” type rather like Crocodile Dundee, slavering over half-naked page 3 models and sensational tabloid story lines, caring about little else than making as much money as possible..

So I was very surprised to see these comments from him…

Murdoch, chairman of News Corporation, described Britain as being ‘totally hedonistic’ and a nation of binge drinkers. ‘The churches were never much, but what there was has collapsed,’ he said. ‘You go anywhere in England when it’s not raining, and there is a cluster of people outside every pub, until 10 or 11 at night, boozing. The increase in alcohol consumption is pretty alarming.’

This is from another interview with Murdoch in Jan 2006

Asked about the chancellor, Mr Murdoch said: “I like Gordon very much and I share a lot of his values. The Calvinist background I guess … Scottish blood, you know, he does seem to believe in the work ethic.”

Now I’m not an expert in theology but I believe Calvinism is one of the most pessimistic, puritain religious doctrines that exists; which assumes that everyone is inherently evil and sinful and therefore must be given guidance by a higher authority..

It makes you wonder what stand Murdoch is going to take with regard to standing up for “free speech” when the global nanny state starts asking for clampdowns on peoples anarchic expression on myspace – particularly when the spectre of censorship starts putting his reach (and therefore his ad revenue) at risk!