Although ministers are not expected to take a decision until summer or autumn 2014, the government made clear in 2011 that the tunnel was its "preferred solution".
Although ministers originally said that Megrahi would have to serve his sentence in the UK, the Foreign Office later decided that this was not a "definitive commitment".
Although ministers are right to say that work is the key to an exit from poverty, to stay out of poverty people have to stay in work.
Although ministers refuse to say how many new plants they want, most observers reckon that they hope existing stations will at least be replaced.
Although ministers insist front-line services will largely be protected from the cuts, the efficiencies are bound to lead to redundancies among civil servants.
Although ministers had maintained that there could be no reversal of the plan, he explained that this was "not the ultimate proposal".
Although ministers hint that the age may fall further, their go-slow approach contrasts with that of Australia, which has had a similar rule.
Although ministers said the bedroom tax would help ease overcrowding, most landlords told researchers that the policy would have little effect.
Although ministers keep exclaiming that there is no more money for the greedy NHS, all over the service money is being lobbed at dead-end projects, new IT packages that will not work and expensive management consultants.
Although ministers have made concessions on some of their other plans, they have shown no signs of backtracking on competition, which David Cameron has repeatedly said will improve standards in the NHS and lead to greater value for money.
Although ministers have argued that there was a demand from local authorities to clarify the regulations to enable them to outsource child protection voluntarily, only two – Kingston, in south-west London, and Staffordshire – have sought to go down this route.
