upgrade fails on insert country

I would like to alter upgrade script lines like

INSERT INTO civicrm_country

& replace them with

INSERT IGNORE INTO civicrm_country

& possibly do the same with lines referring to upgrade & state_province too

The reason is that we have organisations that for good reasons (e.g wanting to recognise a new country on day one) & bad reasons (don't ask) meddle with data in country, state_province & even region! tables. At the end of the day these are data tables & I don't think the upgrade need fall over if they have already inserted a country or state or renamed a region (or country).

I want to do this as a retrospective in hopes of the INSERT IGNORE & UPDATE IGNORE being copied & pasted next time.

OK??