Here's the latest Argus column by South Wales East MS Mark Reckless:

THE coronavirus crisis affects the whole UK.

Transmission rates are similar in Wales and England, although they differ within each country.

Despite this, Welsh Government must do things differently in Wales to England.

On testing for COVID-19 they have been doing less, later and worse than in England.

It is meant to be a National Health Service. Why does that mean that we in Wales must accept a worse service with longer waiting times than in England?

MORE NEWS:

Former Newport RFC player broke taxi driver’s nose

Pontypool RFC boss Ben Jeffreys on mental health struggles

Caldicot fire: Family pays tribute to Charmaine Slater

When I question them about this, and ask why they don’t just join in with the system UK Government uses for England, they suggest the question is ‘anti-Welsh’, as if their government is ‘Wales’, or Wales isn’t part of the United Kingdom.

The first minister, Mark Drakeford, becomes angry when people say the advice is confusing.

He complains that they are listening to what Boris Johnson says as the prime minister of the United Kingdom and berates Welsh MPs who repeat the UK Government’s advice to ‘Stay Alert’.

Apparently, it is not Welsh to say that, as if a slogan has a nationality!

If people in South East Wales want to buy British newspapers that cover news from a UK perspective, rather than tune in to watch Mark Drakeford’s press conferences, that is their choice, and it is one that Welsh Government needs to take into account.

Unfortunately though, when the UK Government quickly set up a scheme to allow vulnerable people priority for booking supermarket delivery slots, the Welsh Government wouldn’t allow people in Wales to benefit from it.

When the UK Government asked for volunteers and signed up many hundreds of thousands to help in the NHS and beyond, we weren’t allowed to be part of it in Wales.

As Welsh Government didn’t run a scheme of its own, and said people should volunteer through their local council, why couldn’t they join up the system? Why can’s people volunteer through the UK scheme and have their details given to their local Welsh council?

The housing market reopened in England weeks ago but is still shut down by Welsh Government here.

Stamp duty is now devolved, so this means less tax revenue for government in Wales than in England.

Unless the Welsh Government cuts spending, including potentially on the NHS, that means taxes will have to rise in Wales.

Thanks to devolution, the Welsh Government now has the power to raise income tax as much as it wants, so we would pay more in Wales than in England.

The Welsh Coronavirus Regulations and guidance and advice from Welsh ministers are contradictory and confusing on many issues.

As shops open up again in England but not in Wales, constituents who live near the border ask me if they can travel to shop in England.

Why can’t people travel more than five miles to visit family, or can they if they live within five miles of the border and the rest of their journey is in England?

I trust in people to use their common sense and judgement.