When the whole world seemed to be falling on his head he had a perfectly contented attitude towards it. In a society in which everyone is meant to say the same thing, the person who refuses to do so is at a premium. Being around someone brave like Rod – or even reading him – had the effect of making other people braver too. Somewhat morosely I remember the night he and I were tasked with removing Jeremy Clarke from a Spectator writers’ party. I can’t remember why Rod and I ended up taking charge, but Rod did it far better than me.