give comfort

This is a phrase that was very popular in the early 1800s when charitable people gave comfort to the poor, the sick, and the dying, but, while the expression is still used in that context, of late it has been achieving cliché status in the mouths of politicians who are giving comfort to various interest groups. And taking comfort as well, as in the case of Barnaby Joyce who took great comfort from whatever it was that Morrison offered him and was able to give comfort to the party room as a result. And they in turn were able to give comfort to their electorates. 

On the negative side politicians are urged not to give comfort to their opposition. Schools are asked not to give comfort to terrorists by accepting students with un-Australian values.  

 My only complaint about this is that the expression is being overused. I am sick of all this comfort that is being handed out.  And in the mouths of politicians it sounds like a respectable veneer for a lot of horsetrading.