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There's one clue this week that I just cannot piece together and I hope someone can put me out of my misery.

15d "Militant part of drama to be played out much earlier?"

The solution appears to be "Activist", i.e. "Militant" but I just can't parse it fully. I can see Act, Act I, Act IV, a "v" for "versus" (to be played?) or for "very" (much?) and a "1st" (earlier?).

Any suggestions?

I think you basically have it. Read it as “Act four first”

Thanks Jono. A case of not being to able to see the wood for the trees!

I don't understand 1ac; revamped Saudi Pvc and international rubber business.
It looks like Davis Cup but apart from the anagram I don't get it

Are the Davis Cup matches referred to as "rubbers"? Some matches are.

That’s exactly the reference. Not specific to the David Cup, I wouldn’t say. Though once a team leads 3-0 or 3-1 (it’s best of five), any remaining matches are often known as “dead rubbers”, because their result will not influence the overall outcome

I think 'rubber' refers primarily to a series of games or matches , rather than a single match. It will always be an odd number of matches as a rubber is best of 'x'.

The equivalent in test match cricket is a series, traditionally five matches but they often play fewer nowadays, not always an odd number. One version of bridge is rubber bridge in which you need to win two 'games' to win a rubber (best of three). Several rubbers may be played at one session.

In the Davis Cup if one team is leading 3-0 I would not call the fourth match a dead rubber. At that stage the whole contest is a dead rubber.

I’m not sure yours is the widespread view. See:

https://www.daviscup.com/en/news/articles/itf-revises-davis-cup-dead-rubber-policy.aspx

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_rubber

To save you reading it, the Davis Cup’s own press release says “all five rubbers”. It clearly considers a single match a rubber. A match does, of course, consist of a series of games. So I’m happy to describe a single match as a dead rubber, rather than the tie as a whole.

You are quite right, quisling@9. Davis Cup tennis does call a single match a rubber. I suppose each match can be described as a rubber partly because tennis is best of three or five sets.