Oops, Nick Clegg did it again....

The funniest story of the weekend concerned Nick Clegg. His description of his frontbench colleagues, delivered on an airplane in the row behind a Sunday Mirror journalist, makes fabulous reading.

I was inclined to believe that mere inexperience had led him to do something so incautious. After all, it's something you wouldn't do twice if you were caught doing it once.

Erm, except if you are Nick Clegg.

Remember this story from the New Statesman?

That thrusting young Minger Nick Clegg should learn to swivel his head to spy who is sitting within earshot before shouting into a mobile phone about an aged Olympic sprinter off to a poor start.

While waiting on Bournemouth station for the London train, it was impossible for your columnist not to overhear the Lib Dems' home affairs chap itemising, between sips of Red Bull, his leader Sir Ming Campbell's political crimes.

Ming the Mediocre, according to Clegg, is hesitant and disorganised, commits avoidable errors and lacks momentum but - this was the loyal bit - is capable of recovering.

It is extraordinary to have made this mistake twice.

Incidentally, although Mr Clegg's office suggests that the Sunday Mirror man may have misheard their boss because the plane was "noisy", the Lib Dem leader is renowned for his loud voice in conversation.