Editorial: Dialogue with Britain is the best route to solving the immigration chaos that Ireland is now facing

We saw it in the reckless alacrity with which Boris Johnson approached Brexit. Bold promises with no regard for cascading consequences were cast about with abandon.

Now, Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda policy is having a disruptive impact. It has led to a surge in asylum-seekers crossing the Border from Northern Ireland into the Republic.

Vexed at the spike, Taoiseach Simon Harris addressed the issue.

He said Ireland would not provide a “loophole for anybody else’s migration challenges”.

Mr Sunak was happy to use the overspill into Ireland as “evidence” that his policy of flying migrants to Rwanda was a “deterrent”.

He made it clear that Britain will not accept the return of asylum-seekers from the Republic of Ireland.

The row has plunged already frosty relations between our two countries back into the deep freeze.

What is clear is that the problem will scarcely be solved with the same level of indifference that created it. Migration is an issue the EU and UK must work together on.

The plight of desperate people can not be used as bargaining chips to court domestic political favour. Throughout the Brexit standoff, the complexities of the Border had to be revisited for slow learners.

Mr Johnson insisted there were no issues. But without some control system in place, there was always going to be flashpoints.

A bit of wit and co-operation could manage the complexities of the present challenge. The chaos we witness unfolding is in the absence of either.

One’s responsibilities can be easily dodged, but the consequences of doing so are inescapable.

Our courts have ruled any relocation to the UK would be unlawful due to the risk of an asylum-seeker being sent to Rwanda.

The Government is now considering whether people coming here from the UK could be sent back there, or to their original home country.

This would be a significant disincentive, but a joint approach would be more effective.

“Every country is entitled to have its own migration policy. But I certainly don’t intend to allow anybody else’s migration policy affect the integrity of our own,” said Mr Harris.

But Mr Sunak has stressed he is not interested in a deal with Dublin on returning migrants.

His comments sparked a testy reaction among government figures, who feel he is using the flow into Ireland for political gain.

As Tánaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Micheál Martin said, the way to work through issues such as migration is with “further engagement and dialogue”.

And he is right. If the history of our islands has taught us anything, it is that an awkward neighbour is a misfortune, as much as a good one is a blessing.