apparently whenever Frank entered the room Bernard would turn to someone else and remark "Can anybody smell semtex".

Even if it was funny the first time he said it - that will give you an idea of his originality.

I am northern working-class background, I know loads of similar people, and they all thought he was a racist pig.

As for the "making a living so he must have been good" argument - heroin and arms dealers make a good living too.