One day last week when doing a normal "apt-get update" my system hung and
had to be rebooted. This left a core deb package in a bad state. To make
things worse it was a core apt/python package.
Normally you can fix an inconsistency via "sudo apt-get -f install"
$ sudo apt-get -f install
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
1 not fully installed or removed.
Need to get 83.4 kB of archives.
After this operation, 0 B of additional disk space will be used.
Get:1 http://mirror.cc.columbia.edu/pub/linux/ubuntu/archive/saucy-proposed/main
python-aptdaemon all 1.1.1-0ubuntu4 [83.4 kB]
Fetched 83.4 kB in 0s (730 kB/s)
dpkg: error processing python-aptdaemon (--configure):
 Package is in a very bad inconsistent state - you should
 reinstall it before attempting configuration.
Errors were encountered while processing:
 python-aptdaemon
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
$

Next thing was to try and remove it then re-install:
$ sudo apt-get remove --purge python-aptdaemon
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following packages will be REMOVED:
  python-aptdaemon*
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 1 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
1 not fully installed or removed.
After this operation, 466 kB disk space will be freed.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]? y
dpkg: error processing python-aptdaemon (--purge):
 Package is in a very bad inconsistent state - you should
 reinstall it before attempting a removal.
Errors were encountered while processing:
 python-aptdaemon
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
$

Now the fix was to use the sledge hammer which is:
$ sudo dpkg --remove --force-remove-reinstreq python-aptdaemon
dpkg: warning: overriding problem because --force enabled:
 Package is in a very bad inconsistent state - you should
 reinstall it before attempting a removal.
(Reading database ... 374673 files and directories currently installed.)
Removing python-aptdaemon ...
$

Then I was able to reinstall it and restore the system to working order
$ sudo apt-get install python-aptdaemon
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  python-aptdaemon
0 upgraded, 1 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 0 B/83.4 kB of archives.
After this operation, 466 kB of additional disk space will be used.
Selecting previously unselected package python-aptdaemon.
(Reading database ... 374637 files and directories currently installed.)
Unpacking python-aptdaemon (from
.../python-aptdaemon_1.1.1-0ubuntu4_all.deb) ...
Setting up python-aptdaemon (1.1.1-0ubuntu4) ...
$

Since this is not the first time this has happened, I thought I would share
with the group.
Just need to remember it when the time comes and you get "Package is in a
very bad inconsistent state" error.

-- 
Joe

/**
 ** Joseph T Apuzzo
 ** GPFS SME (Linux, Windows, AIX), Linux LPI-c1
 ** http://www.linkedin.com/in/japuzzo/
 **/
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