I wondered that too. I wonder if it was "pseudonym"

So the answer must "ASTRODYNAMIC+S"

Thus:

10 down: Something to read for romantic days out at the seaside (13)

ASTRODYNAMICS

Explanation:

"Something to read" indicates an academic subject such as you study at university.

"Romantic days out" indicates an anagram of the words "romantic" and "days"

In rearranging, you get "Astrodynamic-"

And "at the seaside" means it meets the letter at one side of the word "sea"

And today's answer was . . . was . . .

Something to read for romantic days out at the seaside (13)

ASTRODYNAMICS

As I shall explain . . .

And so we solve the latest clue:

9 ac. Dick created work of late cubist (4)

UBIK

The "Dick" referred to in the clue is Philip K. Dick, the renowned science fiction author.
And Philip K. Dick wrote a novel, or created a work, entitled UBIK.
Finally, the construction of the answer is given by "late cubist", referring to "Rubik" - he of the cube - starting "late", without the "R"

And I have the answer to today's clue in the ever crossword:

9 across: Dick created work of late cubist (4)

UBIK

(explanation follows . . .)

I heard.. Rachel Reeves once.. and you need to brace yourself for this.. didn’t put her trolly back at the supermarket.. she left it against a wall near where she’d been parked 😱

Yup I know.. there’s no going back on that

Yeah you may say Farage racially abused kids at school.. but about Reeves 🤦🏼‍♂️

And what OBATO encloses is the word "LIG", which is a slang word meaning to idle or freeload. Hoping, in our sense, to park yourself on somebody for free.

Thus:

OB - LIG - ATO

Play this with a boot going round hoping for Free Parking (8)

Now the explanation.

"Play this" is the direct meaning of "obligato". It's a musical instruction that means it must be played.

"A boot going" is an anagram to be untangled "OBATO"

And "round" means the letters OBATO must enclose something else . . .

"You can set a Western at Christmas, and hang your sets with tinsel and fairy lights. But it won't be a Christmas film if its sentiment comes straight out of Dodge City and the OK Corral."

in a Christmas film, nobody dies without meaning. The whole premise of a Christmas film is that life has value. That's what makes a Christmas film. That life has value and everyone is redeemable.
"A Christmas film is emphatically not defined by trees and tinsel

There's at least honour in that. Not for those who went along with it momentary convenience. i've got their names.

Brexit could never have happened without the collusion of the Labour party. They are as guilty of it as the Tories.

There was a definite moment when Labour could have stopped Brexit, and that was once Teresa May lost her majority. But instead they let it trundle on for another two years, by which time it was too late to stop it.

Obviously people should be comforted and consoled in their mistakes, and be allowed to pursue them to utter ruin, because that's always done wonders for the world.