MYTH 7: Nationalism is by its very nature a bad thing The desire for independence is often linked by its critics to a right-wing nationalism which has caused conflict and division all over the world. The independence debate is very often portrayed as a choice between nasty nationalism and good traditional “British” values. That, of course, isn’t the choice at all. The current values of the UK Government are born out of a particularly unpleasant strand of British nationalism. It’s these values that have driven Brexit and that are behind moves to strip away powers from the Scottish Parliament and stop it from enacting progressive legislation, for instance on protecting children’s rights.