Ok don't think I am an idiot I just don't know much about England's Parliament. Why doesn’t it last long? It seems that Vavasor was only in for a few months and Finn was always whining about his seat not lasting long. But Plantagenet always had a seat?
I am confused as to why when they would win an election it would only be for a few short months.
Plantagenet was a Duke, and was therefore a member of the House of Lords, not the House of Commons (which is where Vavasor and Phineas were). Dukes, Earls, Marquesses, Viscounts and Barons (in their own right, not courtesy title-holders) are all members of the House of Lords for life.
Why don't you check out this site: http://www.parliament.uk/ for more information.
Actually, Plantagenet was not a Duke, nor a member of the House of Lords, until much later in the series (after the Duke of Omnium dies and he inherits the title). In the beginning and through most of the series, Palliser is a member of the House of Commons, even though he's a Duke's nephew. As you state, only Dukes, Earls, etc., can belong to the House of Lords. These are generally called the "nobility" or "the peerage." Those who are merely connected by blood to these titles are probably considered members of the British "aristocracy," but that was not enough to get you into the House of Lords -- you had to actually be a Duke, Earl, etc. When the Duke of Omnium dies, and Palliser does become a Duke, then he MUST leave the House of Commons and ascend to the House of Lords. (But I'm not sure if the TV series gets to that point. I'm re-watching it for the first time in years now, and I haven't gotten to that point and can't remember.)
Thus, Palliser is a member of the House of Commons and does have to stand for election. The reason he is not concerned about his election is that, I believe he is always running in "his own" district, and he has plenty of money to provide to the local saloon-keepers or whoever "got out the vote" in those days. Also, he is well-regarded and no one could possibly knock him off his perch in his own district. Hence, he never worries about the elections, and so we rarely see him talking about it.
The reason Phineas has to worry about elections is mainly because he has no money. (Note that Palliser does not and will never have this problem.) Because Phineas has no money, he has to stand in a district where he has a wealthy patron's backing, such as Brentford where Laura's father backs him. Of course, when he falls in love and pursues Violet, Laura's father turns against him and he must find another district for the next election. However, if he doesn't find another wealthy patron to back him, he will need money -- and a lot of it. If you remember, George Vavasor pretty much went bankrupt trying to get elected. And it's not like you can go through this once and be done with it. Elections are continually being held, and you have to come up with the money over and over. Thus, Vavasor is no longer able to raise money at a certain point and must give up his seat. That's why he's no longer in Parliament.
But Palliser is probably unusual for an aristocrat, for being in the Commons as well as for being a Liberal.
One thing I remember about Parliament was what were called "rotten and pocket boroughs" These were districts with as little as half a dozen voters. The rich held on to these never letting redistricting ruin a good thing.
By paying off the handfull of voters you could perpetuate yourself forever. Your vote was as good as a big city members who had to spend a lot for reelections. "Old Sarum" in Wiltshire had 3 houses and 7 voters and a member of Parliament. Peers would give these to their sons and stay in the House of Lords having a say in both houses.
Laura's father turns against him and he must find another district for the next election.
In the miniseries, although Finn worries that this will occur, it never gets to that point because there's a new law that eliminates more of the "pocket boroughs," including the Brentford borough. A pocket borough (aka rotten borough) is one which has a very small electorate and is controlled by the lord of the estate.
Palliser does become a Duke, then he MUST leave the House of Commons
In the early 19th Century the Parliamentary party system was far less developed than it is today. Members were elected on broad areas of principle, rather than as members of a party. The old country landowners tended to be 'Tories', the middle-classes from the new industrial towns were 'Whigs' or 'Liberals'. Plantagenet Palliser is unusual because he comes from an old aristocratic family, yet he is 'Liberal' in his politics.
When an election was held (and far fewer people were eligible to vote, there were no women voters of course) political leaders relied on gathering enough MP's around them to form a majority. Then they could form a government. In 1834 there were three Prime Ministers (one Whig and two Tory). During the 19th Century, reforms were carried out which increased the number of voters. The two parties became more organised and things became more settled, but there were still upsets when the political situation was very fluid.
At the time of the 'Palliser' novels, for example, between 1865 and 1868 there were four changes of government, which gives an average life of nine months.
Now you can see why Phineas was upset at the lack of job security: election expenses every year and no guarantee of success (he is a Whig in a traditionally Tory region and relies on his father for the money).
Today, we must have a general election every five years at the most. Unless a government is doing very well and calls an unscheduled election to make the most of its popularity, they tend to be every four years. It is up to the ruling party to decide when to have an election, there is no constitutional basis (apart from the five year maximum).
This is a long reply, but I hope it helps.
From the 17 century through the 18th century and into the 19th century there were many old aristocratic families in the whig party.
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