Rivet Joint, people are entitled to argue for and prioritise different things and we would live in a much happier world if we could do so without lobbing insults about.
There is a legitimate argument that a longer runway = larger aircraft = less CO2 per passenger, but an equally good one to say that claim is absurd greenwashing and that a longer runway may just as well = more flights = more CO2. I think davidjohnson6's question is a very reasonable one.
The parallels with Southend are limited given a very different catchment area and, possibly, unfortunate given the extent to which its present prospects...