nostrum

1. (by extension) An ineffective but favorite remedy for a problem, usually involving political action.Examples: "reformers of church charities [...made] known […] their different nostrums for setting Hiram's Hospital on its feet again."; "And not because some clatch of bureaucrats in Strasbourg or Luxembourg have issued yet another directive, but because Europeans are recognising that 19th century nostrums are not solutions to 21st century problems—on the contrary, they are the problem—and it's time to encourage competition, risk taking, democracy and meritocracy, and, dare I say it, dreaming about a different, better future."; "In a paper being published today, he writes: "The traditional Conservative vision of welfare as a safety net encompasses another outdated Tory nostrum - that poverty is absolute, not relative. […]"broadly