The British, for whom the slogan "mustn't grumble" is more aspirational than advisory, have finally found a reason to love their National Health Service: American right-wing demonization of the system. In the wake of Investors Business Daily's claim that if Stephen Hawking lived in the UK (which he does) the NHS would kill him (which it hasn't), Professor Hawking affirmed that he "wouldn't be here today if it were not for the NHS. I have received a large amount of high-quality treatment without which I would not have survived." British diplomats over here are trying to remain above the fray, but do note the following statistics.

Defenders of Britain's system point out that the UK spends less per head on healthcare but has a higher life expectancy than the US. The World Health Organisation ranks Britain's healthcare as 18th in the world, while the US is in 37th place. The British Medical Association said a majority of Britain's doctors have consistently supported public provision of healthcare. A spokeswoman said the association's 140,000 members were sceptical about the US approach to medicine: "Doctors and the public here are appalled that there are so many people on the US who don't have proper access to healthcare. It's something we would find very, very shocking."

A more robust response comes from readers of the country's Daily Mail, a group so yobbish and vile that the paper has given up on monitoring their comments altogether. A piece on the smears against the NHS yields the following responses, among others:

• "If these money grubbing hypocrites want too comment on anything about this country they should get there facts right. Life isn't a Hollywood movie and American history is certainly not made up of facts. The likes of the much venerated George Washington would have remained a loyal subject of the if the British Government had offered him a peerage. Don't forget either that the run-away 'army' that revolted against the British, were for the most part a rag tag of hobos who thought that they had bounties to gain from the pillaging of there own native born citizens"
• "This from the country where people die because they cannot afford to take up health insurance and medicine is pursued as a career because of the money that can be made rather than for vocational reasons. There are plenty of things about the UK which are horrendous at the moment – particularly under this disgraceful Brown regime – but the work of the doctors (like my dear, now retired father) and the nurses in the NHS should be applauded.

  Can the UK sue America for such unjustified comments about our NHS system?"

• "The comments made about cost over life is completely untrue

  o.k the system does have it's problems which are being addressed maybe not as quickly as we'd all like – but at least we don't kick seriously ill people out of hospital because they have no way of paying for their treatment!"

• "What a load of rubbish. It is disgusting that in the 21st century a wealthy developed country such as the USA does not provide a healthcare service for its citizens. As for the wild claims made by the US politicians, they are obviously not being treated for their psychiatric problems! What do you expect from a nation of people who depend on Psychiatrists to survive – a nation of psychiatrics!

  Do they know what the words truth and fact mean?"

• "They can get away with this sort of scurulous lying in America because, like all the pharmaceutical companies, all of the major media are also in the hands of big business. A very good reason for maintaining the BBC in this country!!!"

Well, at least the right can applaud itself for bringing a country together. Too bad it isn't this ours.