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Thanks drxx. Will give it a try.

Wow. Lucky that you are in a time zone that is awake.

...but not for much longer sunray.

I must be extraordinarily dim today - I still lack 28. Is the "group" the one of four of which Roy Jenkins was a member (or Madam Mao, come to that)?

G(roup) follows 'IN' for the last 3 letters of a 6 letter word - you need a fairly obscure 3 letter word for 'argue' to begin with.

Thanks, drxx. I was barking up the wrong tree there.

I am really struggling with 20 across (Inside small residence, once more clean back of fireplace, long forgotten) - I assume 'small residence = 'res' - and 4 down (Displays seat with the one obscure spar) and help with/hints to those two would be much appreciated. I have 27 down because of the crossing entries but cannot work out the actual answer. The same applies with both 6 and 7 down, always assuming that the answer to 17 across starts with a 3 letter word from Russian for 'commune'.

17 does start with the commune - the other parts are 'indeed' = I and 'tree' = TI

Hi alwayspuzzled,
20a. For clean think of char and a 2 letter word.
4d. spar as in geology, seat as in backside.

20 - I know the word, and Im sure you do too but the definition was new to me (maybe check it out in Chambers). The 4 letter word for (to) 'once more clean' is fairly obvious too - put it inside your RES.

27 - 'eucalyptus' = 3 letter word (sticky stuff) outside an inverted number that solvers think is pretty small but setters and Chambers think big.