What I enjoyed about him was how you could read some bits he wrote and think his views on the world chimed in time with yours.

Then he rattled on passionately about something you might fundamentally disagree with.

His denunciation of organised religion is on an artistic level which made him an ideal foil for Dawkin's scientific views and the two together made an intellectual argument.

His views on wars in The Middle East were crafted with the same skill, even if many, myself included, took issue.

Certainly lost a clever larger than life character too soon.