One post contained a link to the Guardian cryptics which are- for those that know- the ultimate challenge. If the Telegraph cryptic is Mont Blanc, the Guardian cryptic is the Matterhorn. I downloaded one of them and gave it a whirl. It had a whole extra layer of deviousness built in. I struggled. I solved eight clues. Then I gave up and went to a dedicated site to have it explained to me. Ah, so that's what was going on- the thing was themed to the life and works of W. E. Gladstone- greatest of all British prime ministers- and the GS repeatedly referred to in the clues was him. I'd thought it might be George Stubbs- the animal painter- which threw me right off track.
The Telegraph is getting to be too easy; I may have to cross over. "The fascination of what's difficult" and all that...