I met Simon in 2001; he was the person who showed me how to navigate Yorkshire Forward.  He believed in protecting the environment but was always transparent in what he thought and warned me against expecting people to be enthusiastic about knit-your-own-muesli, sandal wearing environmentalism.  
He was generous to people who wanted to try to do better, but unequivocally judgmental about people whose values showed them to be self-centred or self-important.  I was always slightly relieved to find him supportive!  I never heard him being actively aggressive to anyone, but silence and lack of agreement spoke volumes.
While our working worlds diverged after 2004, it remained a delight to get on the train out of Ilkley in the morning and spot Simon.  It made the commute a good natured half hour of catching up and assessing the world.