To be fair to MAG they have a pretty realistic view of Stansted's future, as a leisure-focused airport continuing to be dominated by its two major customers. They don't see STN as truly competing with LHR and LGW for long haul, but you can't blame them for trying to secure a small LH operation, despite the terrible history of LH at Stansted. But even if successful it will be small in numbers, and won't really change the nature of STN.
The improvements that Thompson mentioned are not really focussed at the long haul market - valet parking and airport-operated lounges have been quite successful at MAN and appeal to leisure travellers who want to upgrade their airport experience a bit. And the £80m terminal redevelopment is aimed at boosting retail sales by shifting the airside/landside boundary, while improving the security layout. It has nothing to do with long haul aspirations.
So I entirely agree with Skipness's realism about the STN market - the main issue is with the spin that has been put on the press release.