Financial Times No. 12,954, Set by Cincinnus, Dec 18, 2008

A speedy crossword this morning with very little to challenge the solver. My only concern is the three letter word at 25d. 
I may not have the appropriate explanation, and am open, as always, to correction.

ACROSS

1.     SARDINES ( sar [alternate letters of Astaire[ -dines)
6.     RAVAGE – ( Va within ‘rage’)
9.     SPRING – ( dd.  You ‘spring’ news upon someone)
10.   INTREPID – ( in-t-rep-id)
11.   ONLY – ( on-l-y)
12.   TAKE IT EASY – ( I take it = I assume, Midshipman Easy -1836 novel by Marryatt)
14.   MACAROON – ( roLL within Macon)
16.   REEF – ( ref rounding ‘e’)
18.   SPIT – (d.d. – cf ‘spitting image’)
19.   PARTICLE – ( *april etc)
21.   CELERY SALT – ( * clearly set)
22.   RYDE – (hidden  in PARLIAMENTAry -deMOCRAsY – Ryde in the Isle of Wight)
24.   REDSTART – ( red = cardinal.)
26.   EVINCE – (e-v-in-ce – v as the number, ce =this in French)
27.   STUDIO – ( stud-io-  Stud poker with odd letters of iRoN)
28.   RENEGADE – ( * Greene to include aWKWARd)

DOWN
 1.    ASPEN ( dd – the tree and the ski resort in Colorado)
3.     DAIRY CATTLE – ( lower class, -type of cow, which lows -* try a dialect)
4.     NEGATION – ( n-eg-ation)
5.     STICKING PLASTER – ( stick-in-gp-*alters)
6.     RETAIN – (re-ta-in – the territorial army again!)
7.     VIE – (vi-HORSe)
8.     GAISTSKELL – ( Ga-it-skell  Hugh Gaitskell, leader of the Labour Party until his sudden death in 1963.
                                 Elizabeth Gaskell, author of ‘Cranford’)
13.    EAR PIERCING – (dd)
15.    AT PRESENT – ( * spare tent)
17.    ERITREAN – (hidden in DECEMBer-it-reanIMATES)
20.    DYNAMO – ( * dynamo)
23.    DICED -(d-ice-d)
25.    SOD – ( I think this is from the ‘Lawman’ lyrics: ‘I know his heart was shattered as he turned the barren sod’, performed by Jefferson Airplane in the sixties.  Seems a bit obscure in view of the simplicity
                     of the rest of the puzzle)