the lion of Judah

Ever wondered where the Flemish Lion came from? I've been wondering for quite a while now. And during a game of trivial last night one of my friends came up with a very interesting remark. He suggested that the Flemish Lion was actually a Arabic symbol brought back to Europe during the Crusades by Godfroid Of Bouillon.

He wasn't that far from the truth at all. It took some time on google to find something interesting but I actually managed to find quite a lot of info on this matter. I lucked out and found a very interesting blog in Dutch about this matter. You can find it here: http://actuabelgica.blogspot.com/2007/07/de-egyptische-leeuw.html If you speak Dutch, please do cause it's quite elaborate.

I'll try to keep things short and simple. Al lot of European countries and regions actually use the same lion or a remarkable resemblance of this lion. Some examples are: The Netherlands, Belgium, Flanders, Brabant, Spain, Finland, Norway, Scotland, Estonia, Montenegro, Wales, Bulgary, Czech Republic, Calderdale, Luxembourg, ... and last but not least the football club Olympique Lyonnais.

But that doesn't answer the origin of the symbol. But it does make something clear. We all have a common background. It did come from the crusades! Even the official explanation of the Flemish Parliament takes it back to the time of the Middle Ages with a very brief referral to Count Philippe Of The Elsace.
The extreme-right wing nationalists of "Vlaams Belang" explain the use of a lion as symbol by saying it comes "from the Dragon, often used in European symbolism, still being used by the region of Wales". And further denies any other historical explanation. As we are used to...

Sadly enough there are no sources to be found to confirm this theory that links lions to dragons. Not regarding the escutcheon of Wales nor the use of dragons in heraldry.

Although the exact heritage is unclear the lion as a symbol was used by quite a few tribes and people across the Middle-East and is still being used in some cases:

*The Lion Of Judah: a symbol for the Kingdom Of David. An old Jewish symbol.

The Lion Of Judah is still being used by the Rastafari. As the Rastafari religion and the Jewish religion are very similar. Ethiopia used the lion on their old flag!

*The Arabian Lion: it was used by a lot of Arabian nobility and rich families or Sultans. Symbols can be found in any major Arabic city throughout the Middle-East.

*The Egyptian Lion: Lions were already used in the old Egyptian times of pharaos and sphinxes.

The first Europeans to use the lion were the English (Richard I aka Richard Lionheart in 1157) and the French (Geoffrey IV D'Anjou in 1151). The use of Lions in the heraldry stems from the first Crusades. The very first crusade was held to restore the Kingdom Of David in Jerusalem. As armours made knights unrecognizable, often Lions were painted on them. Usually on shields, escutcheons! Further more the lion always represented a royal symbol. The lion is the king of the animals. A lot of Kings and nobel families considered it a great honour to have the lion as their symbol. That's why it is so widely spread throughout Europe. You can check a few examples of lions used in heraldry here: http://www.fleurdelis.com/lions.htm

Next time you wave your "Flemish Lion" please remember where it came from!

Formation and misinformation

The formation round of 'formateur' Leterme is gradually turning into one big joke. The media has openly picked one side and openly turned onto the other side. Yes, once again it's Flemish media against Walloon politicians... The old story of 'yes' and 'no', 'oui' and 'non', 'ja' and 'nee'.

The Flemish media and hence the Flemish population seem to have a new bogeyman. The chosen woman for this round of slanderous journalism is named Joëlle Milquet. Milquet is the leading lady of the francophone CDH, Christian Democrats but self described as Centrist Humanist Democrats.

Milquet is a strong character, someone who is not easy to deal with. I'll give you that. But above all things she is firm, honest and loyal to her audience. I won't say that easily but she is still sticking to what she said before the elections. Milquet would rather not contribute to the government if Flemish nationalists would be part of it. But without her, there would be no government at all. So she decided to take on this responsibility. Milquet is a mother besides a politician and she gives priority to her family. All above are qualities you won't find in the leading man of the Flemish Christian Democrats at all. The man lies, cries and embarrasses his way through the formation rounds.

The hot topic still is about and usually deals with the reformation of our country. All Belgians seem to have disappeared in the media. Belgium must burst and Flanders has to become independent. Even though not even the worst of Belgian politicians makes such ridiculous demands. The matter is possibly much more complex. It 's all about power. Division of electoral districts and federal authority. The Flemish parties are on demand. And hence the francophone parties want something in return. But as the Flemish are ignorant, dumb and stubborn they 're not willing to give in. To me it seems simple, I'm hearing "nee" and not "non" at all. Milquet and her partners are in the position to make demands. Leterme and De Wever already made theirs. Quid pro quo! Even in politics!

Desperate times call for desperate measures and help is coming from an unexpected corner. Vincent Kompany! A 21 year old Belgian (with Congolese roots) defender of Hamburg SV. The man openly called himself Belgian on TV and asked to reconsider unity of both populations. Not only in the national football team but in every day life. He considers himself to be Belgian and a citizen of this world. He does not see the importance of borders and limitations and has no idea why this is so important in our country. And he strongly added that anyone who had problems with his opinions just ran out of luck cause he's sticking with them! Not that I think his words will have any impact at all but it's always nice to know I'm not alone in this.

But halas, we're still without a government. The talks continue and even the King himself is throwing his weight on the balance. Things reminded me of the (in)famous political formation in Holland in 1977. Joop Den Uijl (pvda) talked and negotiated during 208 (!) days with one party (cda) before a coalition was formed... with another party (vvd)! Even in different times and different countries parties fight to agree and agree to disagree. The media has turned the 2007 Belgian elections into one big joke. And the only person who 's contributing to this all is Yves Leterme himself. Your newly elected leader.

5 reasons Bart De Wever isn't that smart at all

Bart De Wever is the president, political leader and face of the Flemish nationalist party NVA. He is currently seated in the House. If the next government ever gets formed, he might become a minister. Generally he's considered the new political genius and intellectual pur sang.

These are just five reasons I came up with to prove that not all things are the way they seem to be!

1* If he 's so smart why is he so politically pre-occupied about everything?
Really, the man is praised throughout the media and the population for his sheer brilliance and wisdom. But the amount of tact this guy lacks is beyond imagination. Everything he says comes from the same right wing corner of his mind. Of all the people I know there's not one person who is less able to put things in perspective! In my eyes the one thing any smart man should have. But Bart De Wever is a living computer programmed to destroy! *sways arms* "Must kill Belgium!"

2* The NVA? Are you kidding me?
Why not call your party the NSDAP?! I'm sure not many people actually have a clue about history. (Explains why they would vote for a nationalist.) But chosing a name for your organisation with such a history is just dumb. The NVA is the North Vietnamese Army! I'm sure you do remember the Vietnam war? Or at least heared of it? Probably besides the two world wars the most significant and consequential fact of modern times. Oh and btw, the NVA were the bad guys...

3* Selling his fate to another party has sealed the fate of his party!
The NVA used to be a small party hardly getting 5% of the vote in only half of the nation. But they joined a cartel of Christian Democrats a few years ago who were desperately seeking a new identity. This might have saved the NVA and will actually get them in to the next government. But was this really so smart? I doubt it! I'm sure CD&V would have won the elections anyway. The NVA never put their mark on the elections. In fact, a lot of people I know who voted for CD&V actually regret that they also supported the NVA. If things don't continue to go well (as things usually do in governmental parties), the NVA might just lose their position. Besides that, they also gave in on a lot of issues. And let's all remember what's the worst thing one party can overcome; have their ideas taken by another party. And that's exactly what's happening nowadays...

4* The J M De Decker affaire should have made it all clear.
Jean Marie De Decker, Belgium's most debatable politician, was about to join the NVA in November 2006. The deal was sealed and the two forces were bound. But CD&V, the Christian cartelpartner of NVA had objections! The party headquarters voted about the matter behind closed doors. Bart De Wever lost his partner and had to say goodbye to J M De Decker. Something De Decker held De Wever personally responsible for! There's still a cold war going on between the two politicians with occasional feuds in the media.

5* Getting involved into a slanderous campaign!
Elio Di Rupo, the man all of Flanders hated a couple of months ago, has disapeared of the political stage. He's probably on a well earned holliday. In the media he was often ridiculed for his strong positions and points of view. The NVA made things worse, they actually made their entire campaign around this person. They had big warning signs with bow ties on them, constantly hammering on the French "non". Bow ties are the trade mark of this socialist minister and the French "non" is referring to his opposition towards separist views. If you can't beat someone fair and square, why not destroy their image? Why not insult them? Why not ridicule them? Why not make a funny campaign to hide the fact you have nothing to say? Why not make the whole world of politics look even more ridiculous? Why not spread a little hate?