When you say "This isn't going to do much but ..." in response to an article about a specific policy proposal, and don't say what you mean by "this", the common

When you say "This isn't going to do much but ..." in response to an article about a specific policy proposal, and don't say what you mean by "this", the common-sense interpretation is that you're referring to the policy proposal in the article, not some other policy you think is likely to be enacted as a result.