"Text Me" says Grand Duke

A bid by Meddingdorf's Grand-duke Leopold Hasbeenbetter III to be closer to his people by publicising his mobile phone number backfired over the weekend, after thousands of calls crashed the line. Grand-duke Leopold Hasbeenbetter III announced the number on Saturday and said anyone could call or send text messages if they wanted to complain about government services.

By today, Meddingdorf's newspapers were carrying stories of people complaining they couldn't get through. Local media reported more than 3,000 calls had been made to the number. "The number is now clogged and cannot be used anymore."

The Grand Duke said there should be five more numbers, but we need to install a new computerised system first," said one Dukal spokesman. It was not clear if the Grand Duke had answered any of the calls himself.

The Grand Duke has worked hard to build an image of being close to the masses. "He was chosen for the people so it's natural for the people to have access to the Grand Duke," said Mallarangeng, who was previously a popular political TV game show host.

A survey in March showed 92 per cent of citizens had a favourable impression of the Grand Duke, and 57 per cent were satisfied with his administration.