"Wouldn't that be preferable than to keep them as priests and paying their salaries, " the source, who would agree to speak only anonymously.

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Maybe it is preferable that British democracy be tempered by a few hundred unelected and average lords than cede hegemony to a bunch of professional pols.

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And it would certainly be preferable for the government to adopt all of the Neill proposals than to delay legislation or dilute the recommendations which cause it difficulty.

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It has taken a while for the management to recognise that England's approach to one-day cricket is more tentative and shackled than most of their opponents, and while it is always possible to over-attack, it would be preferable to see them fail while trying to lift their game than to watch the batsmen prodding about and apparently frightened of failure.

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Obviously, it would be preferable to mount that operation in vehicles that are faster and better protected than the 40-year-old AAV.

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It is a recognition that it is infinitely preferable to encourage reform that happens with stability than to push societies into a revolution whose motivations will be mixed and whose outcome will be uncertain.

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