diff -Nru python-central-0.6.11ubuntu2/debian/changelog python-central-0.6.11ubuntu3/debian/changelog
--- python-central-0.6.11ubuntu2/debian/changelog	2009-02-24 19:16:11.000000000 +0100
+++ python-central-0.6.11ubuntu3/debian/changelog	2009-03-11 11:47:32.000000000 +0100
@@ -1,3 +1,10 @@
+python-central (0.6.11ubuntu3) jaunty; urgency=low
+
+  * re-add check for "Python-Version" in preinst
+  * allow removal of package with no python-version
+
+ -- Michael Vogt <michael.vogt@ubuntu.com>  Wed, 11 Mar 2009 11:42:34 +0100
+
 python-central (0.6.11ubuntu2) jaunty; urgency=low
 
   * dh_pycentral: Autodetect more stuff in /usr/local.
diff -Nru python-central-0.6.11ubuntu2/debian/control python-central-0.6.11ubuntu3/debian/control
--- python-central-0.6.11ubuntu2/debian/control	2009-02-21 15:29:58.000000000 +0100
+++ python-central-0.6.11ubuntu3/debian/control	2009-03-11 11:48:01.000000000 +0100
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 Source: python-central
 Section: python
 Priority: standard
-Maintainer: Matthias Klose <doko@debian.org>
+Maintainer: Ubuntu Core Developers <ubuntu-devel-discuss@lists.ubuntu.com>
+XSBC-Original-Maintainer: Matthias Klose <doko@debian.org>
 Uploaders: Bastian Kleineidam <calvin@debian.org>
 Build-Depends: debhelper (>= 5)
 Build-Depends-Indep: po4a (>= 0.24), perl
diff -Nru python-central-0.6.11ubuntu2/pycentral.py python-central-0.6.11ubuntu3/pycentral.py
--- python-central-0.6.11ubuntu2/pycentral.py	2009-02-24 20:04:21.000000000 +0100
+++ python-central-0.6.11ubuntu3/pycentral.py	2009-03-11 11:47:14.000000000 +0100
@@ -814,10 +814,11 @@
         if self.parse_versions:
             self.version_info = pyversions.parse_versions(version_field)
 
-    def read_version_info(self):
+    def read_version_info(self, use_default_if_missing=False):
         """Read the Python-Version information field"""
         if self.version_field:
             return
+        status=None
         if self.pkgconfig and self.pkgconfig.has_option('python-package', 'python-version'):
             self.version_field = self.pkgconfig.get('python-package', 'python-version')
             logging.debug("Using python-version from pkgconfig: %s" % self.version_field)
@@ -829,7 +830,8 @@
                     for line in block.split("\n"):
                         if line.startswith('Python-Version:'):
                             self.version_field = line.split(':', 1)[1].strip()
-                            break
+                        if line.startswith("Status:"):
+                            status=line.split(':', 1)[1].strip()
         else:
             logging.debug("dpkg-query -s %s" % self.name)
             cmd = ['/usr/bin/dpkg-query', '-s', self.name]
@@ -844,10 +846,15 @@
             for line in fd:
                 if line.startswith('Python-Version:'):
                     self.version_field = line.split(':', 1)[1].strip()
-                    break
+                if line.startswith("Status:"):
+                    status=line.split(':', 1)[1].strip()
             fd.close()
         # now verify/parse it
+        if not self.version_field and use_default_if_missing:
+            logging.warn("%s: is in a bad state, probably from a previous install without proper Python-Version field, assuming default runtime" % self.name)
+            self.version_field = get_default_runtime().version
         if not self.version_field:
+              
             raise PyCentralError, "package has no field Python-Version"
         if self.parse_versions:
             self.version_info = pyversions.parse_versions(self.version_field)
@@ -1483,6 +1490,10 @@
         return self.errors_occured
 
     def run(self, global_options):
+        # run check if the package has a python version so that we can
+        # fail early
+        pkg = DebPackage('package', self.args[0], oldstyle=False)
+        pkg.read_version_info()
         # functionality disabled starting with 0.6.9
         return
     
@@ -1594,7 +1605,7 @@
     def run(self, global_options):
         runtimes = get_installed_runtimes(with_unsupported=True)
         pkg = DebPackage('package', self.args[0], oldstyle=False)
-        pkg.read_version_info()
+        pkg.read_version_info(use_default_if_missing=True)
         try:
             pkg.set_default_runtime_from_version_info()
         except ValueError: