Cryptic crossword No 171

Some delightful clues here, my favourites being 5a, 11a, 14a, 5d, 12d. While I managed to get 17a, I'm not sure that the first bit of the wordplay really works. The advantage of annotated solutions is that the solver who is finally defeated by the clever 16d, as I was, can see how clever it is. But what is the assembled damnable group, pray tell...