Although governing parties do get a beating from voters in these fights, the reality is that the campaign itself ends up being a feverish battle over hyper-local issues that have so little to do with national politics that the parties often end up contradicting their own official policies, as they trip over themselves to appeal to voters. The 2013 Eastleigh by-election was dominated by a spat over a gravel pit and housebuilding on greenfield sites. The Lib Dems put out leaflets saying “residents are angry with the Conservatives for putting green fields under threat from big builders”, while the Conservatives muttered that Lib Dem candidate Mike Thornton had backed the local development plan for Eastleigh. Yet both parties were responsible for the legislation enabling this controversial development.