True, it's a bit of a stretch to call it London, but on the other hand, the train times into London are similar to Stansted - and if you are going to the Olympics at Stratford, Southend will be faster.
Sounds like those bean counters at Easyjet are putting pressure on Stansted to keep their landing fees down!
And have you forgotten the ancient plans to build a new London airport on Maplin Sands....not far from Southend.