Bug#208289: dpkg breaks the dependencies, making the system no longer upgradable

[Vincent Lefevre <vincent@vinc17.org>]

Package: dpkg
Version: 1.10.10
Severity: critical
Justification: breaks unrelated software

I did a

  dpkg -i python2.3_2.3-4_powerpc.deb python_2.3-4_all.deb

which I built myself. But now, I can no longer upgrade the system.
Whatever I do to install packages with apt-get, I get:

You might want to run `apt-get -f install' to correct these:
The following packages have unmet dependencies:
  gadfly: Depends: python (< 2.3) but 2.3-4 is to be installed
  gimp-python: Depends: python (< 2.3) but 2.3-4 is to be installed
  idle: Depends: python (< 2.3) but 2.3-4 is to be installed
  python-apt: Depends: python (< 2.3) but 2.3-4 is to be installed
  python-examples: Depends: python (< 2.3) but 2.3-4 is to be installed
  python-extclass: Depends: python (< 2.3) but 2.3-4 is to be installed
  python-gadfly: Depends: python (< 2.3) but 2.3-4 is to be installed
  python-gdbm: Depends: python (< 2.3) but 2.3-4 is to be installed
  python-gendoc: Depends: python (< 2.3) but 2.3-4 is to be installed
  python-gtk: Depends: python (< 2.3) but 2.3-4 is to be installed
  python-htmlgen: Depends: python (< 2.3) but 2.3-4 is to be installed
  python-imaging: Depends: python (< 2.3) but 2.3-4 is to be installed
  python-imaging-sane: Depends: python (< 2.3) but 2.3-4 is to be installed
  python-imaging-tk: Depends: python (< 2.3) but 2.3-4 is to be installed
  python-kjbuckets: Depends: python (< 2.3) but 2.3-4 is to be installed
  python-ldap: Depends: python (< 2.3) but 2.3-4 is to be installed
  python-mpz: Depends: python (< 2.3) but 2.3-4 is to be installed
  python-netcdf: Depends: python (< 2.3) but 2.3-4 is to be installed
  python-newt: Depends: python (< 2.3) but 2.3-4 is to be installed
  python-numeric: Depends: python (< 2.3) but 2.3-4 is to be installed
  python-pmw: Depends: python (< 2.3) but 2.3-4 is to be installed
  python-tk: Depends: python (< 2.3) but 2.3-4 is to be installed
  python-xml: Depends: python (< 2.3) but 2.3-4 is to be installed
E: Unmet dependencies. Try 'apt-get -f install' with no packages (or specify a solution).

"apt-get -f install" would remove packages:

Correcting dependencies... Done
The following packages will be REMOVED:
  apt-listchanges gadfly gimp-python htmlgen idle python-apt python-dev
  python-examples python-extclass python-gadfly python-gdbm python-gdk-imlib
  python-gendoc python-glade python-gnome python-gtk python-htmlgen
  python-imaging python-imaging-sane python-imaging-tk python-kjbuckets
  python-ldap python-mpz python-netcdf python-newt python-numeric
  python-numeric-tutorial python-pmw python-tk python-xml
0 packages upgraded, 0 newly installed, 30 to remove and 23 not upgraded.

So, this is not a solution.

-- System Information:
Debian Release: testing/unstable
Architecture: powerpc
Kernel: Linux ay 2.4.18-newpmac #1 Mon Jun 9 03:10:07 UTC 2003 ppc
Locale: LANG=C, LC_CTYPE=en_US.ISO8859-1

Versions of packages dpkg depends on:
ii  dselect                       1.10.10    a user tool to manage Debian packa
ii  libc6                         2.3.1-16   GNU C Library: Shared libraries an

-- no debconf information