We are in the midst of an international crisis. All Governments around the world are doing what they can, the best they can to deal with the virus, the likes of which has not been seen for over 100 years in Europe and beyond. Death and infection rates go up and down—even in the UK, not long ago, Northern Ireland was top, then parts of England and now it’s Wales. This is not a race, though, Llywydd, because all politicians, I believe, are trying to do the best that they can in the circumstances they find themselves in.

There was criticism last week that only a week's notice had been given to pubs in Wales before they could close. In London this week, 48 hours' notice was given. Now, I could easily say, 'Well, doesn't that show a level of double standards?' but I'm not going to do that because this is how difficult it is to make predictions. This is how difficult it is for Governments in Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland and beyond to take decisions to protect people when the virus changes behaviour so quickly. It's difficult for business; there's no question about that. There are businesses out there that are thinking, 'Will I survive? Will I still be here next year?' There are businesses out there that, despite the support from Government, will wonder whether they have a future. But it is delusional to think that we can simply go back to normal and ignore the fact that the virus is here. And I've heard that argument being made.

There are some who've used the example of Sweden. They don't do that now, do they, Llywydd? There are some who talk about herd immunity. Let me tell them what 'herd immunity' means: it means either (a) you vaccinate everybody, or (b) you allow the virus to run wild through the community, picking off the weak, the elderly and the vulnerable along the way until you get that immunity. That is not humanity, to my mind, Llywydd. We cannot pretend that this virus is not here.

I heard Gareth Bennett, who basically said that the Welsh Government's efforts are a crypto-nationalist plot. That's what he said, in effect, and then he said that he demanded respect from a Chamber that he does not wish to see here in the first place. This is not about politics. This is not about, 'England did this, Wales did that. Let's compete with each other, let's criticise each other.' This is not what this is about. Each part of the UK is doing the best it can in the circumstances it finds itself to protect its people. I support the Welsh Government in what it does. I support the UK Government in what it's doing in England, because I know that they're doing the best that they can.

I heard Caroline Jones speak. She seemed to be saying not that we should have a regional approach, but that we should have one approach across the entire UK. One set of rules across the entire UK, regardless of where you are, whether you're in Warrenpoint on the border with the Republic of Ireland, or whether you are in the Outer Hebrides or, indeed, in London. That's the impression I had from the argument. That is not the reality of the situation.

We face, in Wales, this crisis together. We have light at the end of the tunnel, we know where the journey ends: there's a vaccine. The question is how many more people are we willing to lose on the way. Eighty years ago, Llywydd, in the whole of Europe and in this country, a generation faced a level of deprivation for six years in war that we cannot possibly imagine. They did not know what the future held. They had rationing, but they got on with it. Are we saying that, for a few months, until the vaccine arrives, we cannot put up with a mild level of restriction? Because if we are, we are not fit to follow in their footsteps.

There are people who think that this virus is a con. There are people who have received positive tests who then go to work and infect other people. The question for us as a society is this: future generations will look back at us and they will say, 'How effective were these people in dealing with this virus?' We need to be able to look them in the eye. The virus doesn't care about politics, doesn't care about Brexit, doesn't care about where in the UK it is, doesn't care about the EU, and we must remember that co-operation is key to ensuring that more people live, that more people have a future, and that more lives are saved. And on that basis, Llywydd, I will give my support to the Welsh Government, I will give my support to the UK Government, and to all governments around the world who are looking to make sure that their populations are protected in the future. No matter what our politics, no matter what our parties, that surely must be our guiding light.