Andrew, you’re right that that British government advice – no drinking at all during pregnancy – is entirely unrelated to any real medical risk. But it’s a fascinating glimpse into the diminishing returns that accompany the over-nannyfication of advanced societies. Most of us discount a good portion of government advice – like those yellow signs on the highway warning you to take the bend at 30mph and everyone does it quite comfortably at 40-45. That means that governments that are prone to extreme micro-regulation (as New Labour is) necessarily fall back on ever more extreme exaggeration, which the populace discount even more. There’s a bit in my book somewhere on a Dutch transport engineering survey which concluded that the best way to make people drive safely is to take away all the safety signs. The Blairites might usefully learn from that.