Closure in base class unable to call private methods when invoked from derived class

Closures defined in base classes are not able to access private methods in the same base class, when invoked from a derived class. Java visibility rules imply that this should not happen. When the private methods are made public, the error disappears. Also, when the closure is converted to a method the problem also disappears. Compiling and running the TestCase class included (along with Base class) should reproduce the problem. It's easier to see the problem than to try and describe it.