*NEWSFLASH* Rupert Murdoch is not a Libertarian

From the BBC news website:

Rupert Murdoch is a libertarian - against too much state control, and in favour of individuals taking responsibility.

Is he a libertarian? Really? Or is he just an economic liberal? Because there is precious little in a rag like The Scum to suggest anything other than a deep conservatism when it comes to social matters. Indeed, the next sentence arguably shows this social conservatism:

Hence the high praise for Margaret Thatcher.

Thatcher wasn't a libertarian. She was an economic liberal in a number of ways, but she was also deeply socially conservative. Furthermore, when you factor in the reality that Murdoch religiously flirts with successful political leaders of all parties in all countries, including the likes of the utterly illiberal Tony Blair, it is difficult to conclude that he is truly interested in anything other than the health of his business empire. That might be why he's a successful businessman; it certainly means he isn't a proper libertarian.

Libertarians need to work hard to stop this association of libertarianism purely with economic freedom. True libertarians (to use a phrase that is almost designed to provoke outrage) are just as much interested in social freedom as they are in economic freedom. To be free you have to be able to spend your money how you like and live you life how you like* - and as far as I can see, Murdoch only really cares about the former. That might make him a champion of economic freedom, and see him leaning more towards anarcho-capitalism. But it sure as hell doesn't make him a libertarian.

*Constrained by something like the Harm principle, of course.