evening Meeting with Speaker Sheriff Fletcher

On Thursday 30th March President Brian Johnson, returned to the chair as he welcomed 14 Rotarians, 2 Rotarians from The Rotary Club of Kirkcaldy Ann and Harry Mitchell, 7 guests of members and guest speaker Sherriff Michael Fletcher to this evening meeting held at Gilvenbank Hotel. 

Three apologies for absence were received.

Iain Haywood mentioned the annual Sportsman’s dinner which was held last Friday 24th March had gone extremely well with Geoff Sampson confirming if all monies were received then a profit of £5k should have been realised.

The speaker for this evening was Sherriff Michael Fletcher, brother of Rotarian Walter Fletcher. Sherriff Michael originally enrolled as a solicitor in October 1968 and worked in Dundee as a solicitor for 25 years in a Dundee Office until 1994. He was appointed as senior sheriff in Perth in 2001 until retirement in 2014. His talk was on Human rights which are the basic rights and freedoms that belong to every person in the world, from birth until death. Human rights apply regardless of where you are from, what you believe or how you choose to live your life. They can never be taken away, although they can sometimes be restricted – for example if a person breaks the law, or in the interests of national security. These basic rights are based on values like dignity, fairness, equality, respect and independence. But human rights are not just abstract concepts – they are defined and protected by law. In Britain, our human rights are protected by the Human Rights Act 1998. Human rights are relevant to all of us, not just those who face repression or mistreatment. They protect you in many areas of your day-to-day life: here are just some of the main rights and freedoms they support, your right to a private and family life as well as expressing your opinions, and your right not to be mistreated or wrongly punished by the state. The idea that human beings should have a set of basic rights and freedoms has deep roots in Britain. Landmark developments in Britain include the Magna Carta of 1215, the Habeas Corpus Act of 1679 and the Bill of Rights of 1689. The atrocities of the Second World War made the protection of human rights an international priority. The formation of the United Nations paved the way for more than 50 Member States to contribute to the final draft of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948. This was the first attempt to set out at a global level the fundamental rights and freedoms shared by all human beings. The Declaration formed the basis for the European Convention on Human Rights, adopted in 1950. British lawyers played a key role in drafting the Convention, with Winston Churchill also heavily involved. It protects the human rights of people in countries that belong to the Council of Europe, including the UK. The Human Rights Act 1998 made these rights part of our domestic law. The Act means that courts in the United Kingdom can hear human rights cases. Before it was passed, people had to take their complaints to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France.

The Rotary vote of thanks was given by Walter Fletcher.

On reception, this week Thursday 6^th April 2017 which will revert to a lunch time meeting to be held at the Gilvenbank Hotel. please meet 12.45pm for starting at 12.55pm will be Ron Page and Peter May, when the speaker will be - Jilly Guild talking about ' Developments at Glenrothes Foodbank