When he was in hospital a few weeks ago, I visited Rod with some cake. While he munched away, he expressed a sense of regret that he could have been a great writer. Rod always thought his true calling was writing fiction, rather than journalism, and always wondered if he’d sold his soul by following the money. I was fortunate enough to become a friend of Rod’s when he joined the Social Democratic party (SDP) in 2018. Rod would also make up party policy on the hoof.