Why does lion represent the British Parliament?

[luckylucy]

Why does lion represent the British Parliament?

[5jj]

It doesn't.

The lion has been one of the emblems of the kings and queens of England/Scotland/Britain since Norman times, and some English/Scottish/British institutions, such as sports teams, have adopted a lion as their emblem.

[emsr2d2]

This is the UK Parliament emblem: http://www.andrewlansley.co.uk/image...iament_150.jpg

Mind you, when I think of the British Government, this is what springs to mind: http://i.ebayimg.com/00/$%28KGrHqEOKicE4qDhh,5%29BOLPqYMG-w~~_35.JPG

[BobK]

Or indeed this: Clarabel's Photo | Lockerz

Meanwhile, back at the thread, the lion (or sometimes the bull-dog) is a commonplace of cartoon drawing. I don't know why. Different countries are typically represented by particular animals. Russi is a bear. The USA is an eagle. Australia, for obvious reasons, is a kangaroo. China is a dragon. Argentina is a puma. These images come and go. I expect if a cartoonist wanted to represent the Arctic they'd use a polar bear. (I can see it now - a polar bear sunbathing -> global warming....)

b