Nor does he accept that reform-minded governments always lose elections, citing counter-examples such as Britain.

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Yet like many other businesses, telecoms is littered with counter-examples suggesting that size means loss of agility.

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But no one can guarantee that this will always be the case, and there are plenty of counter-examples.

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There are, however, some notorious counter-examples, such as France's 35-hour week or the German government's decision to bail out Philipp Holzmann, a construction firm.

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Despite this, there are a surprising number of counter-examples.

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But sceptics could point to counter-examples.

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But there are plenty of examples where regulation could be counter-productive: a permanent ban on short-selling, for instance, would make markets more volatile.

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Examples include health insurance premiums (Medicare, Medigap, and private), over-the-counter medications, and fees from services such as assisted living facilities, nursing homes and in-home care.

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