Independent 9,349 / Phi

MUS<h> (=rubbish; “cut” means last letter dropped); “back” indicates reversal

D (=democrat) + R (=republican) + {[AM (=America) + TICK (=moment)] in EET (TEE=support, i.e. in golf; “receding” indicates reversal)}

IN (=popular, trendy) + DO (=party) + CHINA (=friend, in Cockney rhyming slang)

G (=government) in SURE (=yes, I will)

MUR (RUM=spirit; “recalled” indicates reversal) in [SA (=South America) + A1 (=excellent)]

PR (=pair) + ELUDE (=to get away from)

R (=rule) in PETTY (=narrow-minded)

*(M<atch> + LUCIFER); “head of” means first letter only; “variety of” is anagram indicator

{[P (=page) + I (=1)] in E.G. (=say)} + [P (=page) in RAH (=cheer, i.e. short form of hurrah)]

E (=English) in *(NAMES); “various” is anagram indicator

Cryptically, an “out (=discontinued) crop” would be “no longer raised (=grown)”! In addition to being an exposed edge of rock, an outcrop is a sudden emergence or occurrence

F (=force) in [RAW (=crude) + RUT (=routine)]; “back” indicates (here full) reversal

M (=married) + ONE (=individual) + V (=against, i.e. versus); “returning” is anagram indicator

OM (MO=way of working, i.e. modus operandi; “recalled” indicates reversal) in *(ORGANIC); “development of” is anagram indicator; agronomy is the rural economy

*(WENT + ODD EYES); “crazy” is anagram indicator

E’EN (=poet’s still, yet); “back-pedalling” indicates reversal

<daffodil>S (“last of” means last letter only) in SLIPUP (PUPILS=locations among irises, i.e. in the eye!; “turning over” indicates reversal)

ODE (=lines, i.e. poetry) in <co>MM>on> (“middle of” means middle letters only)

DEC (=last month, i.e. of year) + ORATOR (=speaker)

XI (=soccer team, i.e. 11 players) in RILE (=upset, as verb); “promoted” indicates (here full) vertical reversal

*(ITEMS + PEA<s>); “a lot of” means all but last letter are used; “dished up” is anagram indicator; & lit.

IS + SU<it>E (=sequence of pieces, e.g. of music; “lacking that certain something (=it)” means letters “it” are dropped)

<ta>KE (“no thanks (=ta)” means letters “ta” are dropped) + [F (=following) in RUFFLE (=upset)]

HEB (=Biblical book, i.e. Hebrews) in TELL (=report, as verb); the reference is to the 1958 novel by Iris Murdoch The Bell

EXI<t> (=death; “a lot of” means last letter dropped) + *(<sen>TENCES) (“after first three” means first three letters are dropped); “commuted to” is anagram indicator

*(NIGER) in CHAD (=African country); “unexpectedly” is anagram indicator

EPIP (PIPE=flageolet; “raised” indicates vertical reversal) + [N (=note, as in N.B.) in HAY (=country dance)]; in addition to being a religious festival, epiphany can also mean a sudden revelation or insight into the nature of something

VOL (=volume) in EVES (=days before)

RAC (CAR=vehicle; “climbing” indicates vertical reversal) in MILE (=distance, i.e. unit thereof)

*(TREE) in SO (=very); “demolition of” is anagram indicator

RO (OR=men, i.e. other ranks; “upset” indicates vertical reversal) + M<il>AN (=Italian city; “putting out Italian article (=”il”, the Italian definite article)” means the letters “il” are dropped)

ME (=the writer) in WON (NOW=currently; “upset” indicates vertical reversal)