Independent 10999 / Tyrus

The end of reason! Read with derision about ‘cultural’ politician (6,7) 

NADINE DORRIES (name of the current United Kingdom Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.  I suspect Tyrus is not a fan of Ms DORRIES)

N (last letter of [end of] REASON) + an anagram of (about) READ and (with) DERISION

N ADINE DORRIES*

Most recorded and freely available (2,3) 

ON TAP (continuously and readily available)

ON TAPE (recorded) excluding the final letter (most) E

ON TAP

Top politicians not totally respectful at office, we hear (9) 

POLITBURO (in the former Communist countries, the policy-making committee, effectively the most powerful organ of the Communist Party’s executive; top politicians)

POLITE (respectful) excluding the final letter (not totally) E + BURO (sounds like [we hear] BUREAU [office])

POLIT BURO

Overly catty sign during party – I’m not staying! (6-2) 

TOODLE-OO (goodbye – I’m off, I’m not staying)

TOO (overly) + (LEO [reference the sign of the Zodiac characterised by a lion [big cat]; catty sign] contained in [during] DO [party])

TOO D (LE O) O

Corruption returned – slippery types covering the whole range (6) 

SLEAZE (corruption or immoral behaviour in public life)

EELS (slippery types) reversed (returned) and containing (covering) AZ (A to Z [the whole range])

SLE (AZ) E<

Bad vibe – shame what some politicians do (9) 

MISBEHAVE (take improper actions; what Tyrus believes some politicians do)

Anagram of (bad) VIBE SHAME

MISBEHAVE

PM’s returning for some bedroom activity (5) 

SLEEP (example of a bedroom activity)

PEEL’S (reference Sir Robert PEEL [1788-1850], Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on two occasions, 1834-1835 and 1841-1846) reversed (returning)

SLEEP<

River bank home to beavers originally (5) 

TIBER (river in Italy that flows through Rome)

TIER (row, level, bank) containing (home to) B ( first letter of [initially] BEAVERS)

TI (B) ER

Politician clueless about way forward (with no drawback)? Possibly (4,5)

LORD FROST (reference LORD David FROST [born 1965], British diplomat, civil servant and politician who was a Minister of State at the Cabinet Office between March and December 2021. FROST was Chief Negotiator of Task Force Europe from January 2020 until his resignation in December 2021. Previously he was the Prime Minister’s Europe Adviser and Chief Negotiator for Exiting the European Union.  Another politician for whom Tyrus has no time)

LOST (bewildered; clueless) containing (about) (RD [road; way] + FRO [an anagram of {possibly} FORWARD excluding {with no} WARD {DRAW backwards}])

LO (RD FRO*) ST

Disagree with British PM endlessly (6) 

BATTLE (disagree with)

B (British) + ATTLEE (reference Clement ATTLEE [1883 – 1967], UK Prime Minister from 1945 to 1951) excluding the final letter E (endlessly)

B ATTLE

Stranger‘s gang is back outside most of time (8) 

SCREWIER  (more eccentric; stranger)

IS reversed (back) containing (outside) CREW (gang) + ERA (period of time) excluding the final letter A (most of)

S (CREW) I< ER 

Trio cease performing – they’re largely unknown (9) 

ESOTERICA (secret or mysterious objects; they’re largely unknown)

Anagram of (performing) TRIO CEASE

ESOTERICA*

Political assistant old (and he’s impotent) (5)

SPADO (a castrated or impotent person or animal)

SPAD (political acronym for a SPecial ADviser to a Government Minister. SPAD is in the Oxford Dictionary of English as a noun in this sense) + O (old)

SPAD O

Enter while rolling joint? This will ensure discipline in the house (5-4,4) 

THREE-LINE WHIP (a call made on members of parliament to be in their places in readiness for an important division called, according to the number of times the message is underlined as indication of urgency – THREE-LINE is the most urgent form of the call)

Anagram of (rolling) ENTER WHILE + HIP (joint)

THREE-LINE W* HIP

Performances by non-female groups (7) 

ACTIONS (performances)

FACTIONS (small groups of people formed of dissenting members of a larger group) excluding (non) F (female)

ACTIONS

Drive up motorway back to university (7)

IMPULSE (drive)

(UP + M1 [motorway]) reversed (back) + LSE (London School of Economics; example of a university)

(IM PU)< LSE

With space to move, Bale’s dribbling worth utilising (10) 

EMPLOYABLE (capable of being used)

EM (a term used in printing for a space the size of the letter m) + PLOY (manoeuvre in a game; move) + an anagram of (dribbling) BALE  –  Some solvers may be unaware that Gareth BALE is a footballer, so dribbling is an appropriate anagram indicator

EM PLOY ABLE*

Alone? Head down for big city (4) 

OSLO (Capital city of Norway)

SOLO (alone) with the first letter (head) S moved downwards to form the entry OSLO

OSLO

Charges still regularly included – is disconcerting (7) 

RATTLES (flusters; is disconcerting)

RATES (charges) containing (included) TL (letters 2 and 4 [regularly] of STILL)

RAT (TL) ES

School in centre of Leek welcoming old money (7) 

EDUCATE (teach; school)

EE (middle letters of [in centre of] LEEK) containing (welcoming) DUCAT (an old coin; money)

E (DUCAT) E

One managing to get politician to bite? Sadly fifty involved – shameful! (12)

CONTEMPTIBLE (shameful)

CONTE (reference Antonio CONTE [born 1969], manager of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club; one managing) + MP (Member of Parliament; politician) + (L [Roman numeral for 50] contained in [involved] an anagram of [sadly] BITE)

CONTE MP TIB (L) E*

Politician on peanuts wore rags – not you, anyhow! (4,8) 

OWEN PATERSON (former Conservative Member of Parliament [politician] for North Shropshire who resigned following an investigation into his conduct by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards who ruled he had breached paid advocacy rules.  The subsequent by-election returned a Liberal Democrat candidate who overturned PATERSON‘s previous large majority.in the Genral Election of December 2019.   PATERSON had previously held two Secretary of State posts)

Anagram of (rags) ON PEANUTS WORE excluding (not) U (textspeak; [anyhow {?}] for ‘you’)

OWEN PATERSON*

Punch egghead, real bastard (he’s only little) (10) 

LEPRECHAUN (sprite or creature who helps Irish housewives, mends shoes, grinds meal, etc; a little creature) – a rather vague definition

Anagram of (bastard) PUNCH and E (first letter of [head] EGG) and REAL

LEPRECHAUN*

Run 12 (3) 

BYE (an extra run in cricket)

BYE (goodBYE; TOODLE-OO [entry at 12 across])

BYE

God depicted by visual artist (3) 

LAR (the god of a house)

LAR (hidden word in [depicted by] VISUAL ARTIST)

LAR

Previous promise to marry Elizabeth, US writer (7) 

BETROTH (old-fashioned [previous] word meaning to contract or promise to marry)

BET (short form of Elizabeth) + ROTH (reference Philip ROTH [1933 – 2018], American novelist)

BET ROTH

Stand in for Romeo priest found on top of woman (7)

RELIEVE (release from duty by taking the place of; stand in for)

R (Romeo is the International Radio Communication codeword for the letter R) + ELI (biblical priest) + EVE (lady’s name; woman)  This is a down entry so ELI is ‘on top of’ EVE

R ELI EVE

Chippy might have this stew (used to be served up) (7)

FRETSAW (a cutting tool with a narrow blade and fine teeth, that may be used by a carpenter)

FRET (worry; stew) + WAS (used to be) reversed (served up; down entry)

FRET SAW<

Ofsted head right – 2’s looking after school paperwork (7) 

ORIGAMI (the art of paper folding; paperwork)

O (initial letter of [first] OFSTED) + R (right) + (II [Roman numeral for two] containing [looking after] GAM [school of whales])

O R I (GAM) I

All you want‘s in Collins, they say (4) 

FILL (as much as satisfies; as much as you want)

FILL (sounds like; [they say] PHIL (reference, PHIL Collins [born 1951], drummer with the band Genesis) 

FILL