Patten's old skill set

Lord Patten's experience of international diplomacy is pretty solid. Five years getting the Hong Kong handover sorted, and four years in the morass of EU foreign policy have made him pretty ring-savvy.

Yet there's a local stand-off he's yet to sort out - in the unsettled region of London WC2. The BBC World Service ("An institution to be proud of" - Lord Patten June 2011) is leaving Bush House this year, and current management have made it clear to staff that there's little funding to mark the occasion with big or lavish parties. So there are modest events for staff, who've been asked to pay towards their party on a sliding scale. And there is an event for key previous staff and opinion-formers.

I was initially advised that John Tusa, Managing Director of the World Service 1986-1993, had been omitted from the party lists, but insiders who should know say he was at the top of their thoughts (see comment below). However he has undoubtedly got into a heated discussion with the BBC over the need for many more former Bush House staff at all levels to take part in marking this momentous shift for World Service. In his view "somebody should be ashamed", and he currently won't be going to the party.

One of the irritations of retired staff who'd like to be able to mark the event and were ready to pay for the opportunity, is that some of the opinion-formers who have been invited are rather surprised they are deemed so. And they are more surprised that they take precedence over people who worked at Bush - the world of those who rattle on about contemporary and recent international history is a small one. Meanwhile at White City, the internal spin is that it would be inappropriate to provide dry white wine for the thirsty hordes of whinging World Service pensioners who would undoubtedly monster any event armed with doggy-bags to harvest all the sausage rolls.

My sources say that John T has again been urged to attend, but his anger at the clumsy way the feelings of former staff have been handled has led him to turn it down, in forthright terms. Can Lord Patten smooth him over ? It would probably take only a small fraction of the funds that are being spent on the tenth anniversaries of BBC3, BBC4, Radio 6Music etc....