The impression I got was that this whole martyrdom complex started right after you got shafted by your oh so carefully selected allies, allies that were as entagled in the web as any other alliance and whose objectives you had no problem supporting. You gotta admit that picking TOP-Umb et cetera as first moves of your FA policy hardly strikes us as a bold political statement. What happened in the span of the following years was of course a different story and the endurance of your former alliance in the face of adversity cannot be questioned: still, that only happened as consequence to your FA choices and your behavior as an alliance (and membership). If MI6 hadn't been "screwed" by its former allies I doubt you would have pursued a bold and revolutionary FA strategy: on the contrary, you would have adapted to the existing FA narrative like everyone else.
To summarize, your brave stand to this cruel world was more forced by events onto you than a willing and meaningful choice. That's how I see it at least, as an external spectator to your alliance's history.