Lord Turnberg: One way to find out is to refer this whole question to mice so that they can examine it properly. I ask my noble friend if I can persuade him to refer homeopathic remedies to mice.I look up, startled. Has he entirely misunderstood the mouse/scientist relationship? Oh, right, he said NICE. I knew that.
Comments
Can you just shout this point out at an opportune moment? Or disguise yourself as one of the less enthusiastic Lords/Ladies and get in on the debate?
The system really doesn't work, does it?
If they can't do their background reading, wouldn't it be better if every Lord and Lady was assigned a Googler Pursuivant?
(b) Isn't "proof" being used here as in "40% proof" - or, as it's homeopathy, "0.00000000000000000000000000000004% proof"?
You're probably right about the meaning of proof, but homeopaths have their own system of expressing dilutions: 100X, 30C etc.
I've just looked it up, and "the exception proves the rule" is actually a legal phrase meaning 'if you state an exception to an unwritten rule, you're confirming that the rule applies at other times'. According to this, anyway:
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/exception-that-proves-the-rule.html