It appears to be the dominance of pragmatism over principle, and old-style back-room bargaining over more accountable, albeit potentially slower-moving, politics.
But now, the report suggests, arguments over the principle of privatisation are merely a distraction.
President Sarkozy probably thinks it's better to win the battle over the principle.
But it is also misguided: it puts abstract principle over the business of governing.
Because the strike is over matters of principle, not just dollars and cents, it could last for months.
The lawsuit pits two men for whom money is no object in what boils down to a battle over pride and principle.
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On the face of it Palestinians have chosen principle over pragmatism.
If we had lived by this simple principle over the past several years, we would be facing out-year deficits that would be roughly 2 percent of the economy, and debt as a share of the economy would be declining rather than rising.
The Peter Principle sold over 1m copies, a remarkable feat for a book of its type at the time, and it spent no less than 33 weeks on the American bestsellers' list.
To avoid the seduction of success, follow one simple principle - discipline over-training .
German and French banks have already agreed in principle to roll over loans to Greece in order to give the country more time to repay its debts.
"The owners of Portsmouth are pleased to announce that an agreement in principle has been reached over the sale of the club, " said a statement.
What teetered in the balance that week was not only the whole fabric of Russian-American relations since the cold war, but the principle of democratic control over Russia's army.
We also believe that giving people control over what they share is a fundamental principle of this rewiring.
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Last month the proprietor, now 85 and still running a stable of over 220 regional papers, applied the principle to his struggling South London Press, splitting it into seven more local editions focusing on individual boroughs.
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That's the principle that he took into negotiations over the debt ceiling, his presentation to the super committee.
Highland's housing and social work committee has agreed in principle to build 750 new properties over the next five years.
But broadcasters say it's an important point of principle that they should not hand over their footage without a court order.
It is a yes and comes from a minister who - caught in that painful spot between principle and pragmatism - has come over all Vicky Pollard.
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Therefore, in order to establish proof of principle that they can hold ground over the long-term against the Tea Party, Democrats had to at least moderately erode the gains made by Republicans in 2010.
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Scientists investigating changes in Earth's climate over the past few million years also use this principle to examine cores of ice from Greenland and Antarctica.
But the general principle still stands: what you pay over in actual cash in this time period is not the tax that is due from this time period.
The Supreme Court decided in 1853 that Morse could keep the patent on his innovative method for transmitting telegraph signals over long distances, but not the fundamental scientific principle that electricity can transmit information.
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In law, he established the principle of judicial review, giving the courts authority over the political branch.
Labour Councillor Sam Corcoran, from Cheshire East Council, said he had no problem in principle with the plan, but did have concerns over the finances.
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However British Conservative MEP Sajjad Karim said he supported the new regulation in principle, and hoped that further negotiations could take place over the claw-back issue.
Commission sources fear that France and Spain may accept the principle of a discards ban but raise sufficient technical objections over gear rules to render reform ineffective.
And let me repeat this principle: If we don't get control over costs, then it is going to be very difficult for us to expand coverage.
For consumers, there will be concerns about data protection and whether the principle aim in freeing up data is to hand it over to the marketing industry and profit from it.
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