Long-haul services direct from the regions should be encouraged and nurtured.
Thats all very well within an aviation based forum, we would probably all on here like to see that but there is serious opposition to increased air traffic due to environmental issues. Filtering people onto larger aircraft rather than having numerous smaller aircraft flying direct from the regionals is one answer to this.
You also have the chicken and egg situation whereby businesses may not want to invest in areas that do not have easy access. The flights are not there due to no demand. What begins with a connecting service via an expanded LHR may indeed grow to a direct service if the demand grows.
This is another reason why I think a hub/no hub decision needs to be made primarily.