We deride them as ‘migrants’. Why not call them people? | David Marsh

The term is badly tarnished after years of abuse by those who seek to strip refugees of their humanity

What do the following people have in common: Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of England; the former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen; Nigel Farage's wife, Kirsten; Chelsea's new striker, Pedro; and Sir Bradley Wiggins?

Yes, they are all migrants - or, if you prefer, immigrants. Having moved to the UK to further their careers, some of them might perhaps be described as "economic migrants". Except that this term is reserved exclusively by politicians and the media to describe people who - unlike bankers or sports stars - they don't like: people who, in the words of our foreign secretary, are "marauding" across Europe.