Political parties should stop telling rural Ireland how to live, according to Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae.
It is after Green Party leader Eamon Ryan was criticised for comments this week that small towns and villages could car pool.
He suggested it could help the environment if areas with 400 or 500 cars share a pool of 30 local vehicles.
Michael Healy-Rae says the comments show the divide between urban and rural life.
"Forget about your cars, walk down to the village because I'm so worried about the environment," Mr Healy-Rae said, ridiculing the Green Party leader.
"I'm going to protect it by making you walk from your house that might be four miles (away) on a bad, wet, winters morning and go down to the local village."
He (Ryan) is trying to save his own political skin now by trying to do a hopeless U-turn.
The Kerry TD added that people living in rural area "do not want to be treated as any less - we are taxpayers as well".
