Talk:Purdah (disambiguation)

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[edit] Problem with this disambiguation page

Based on Wikipedia:Manual of Style (disambiguation pages), none of the entries except one belong on the page, which makes it a pointless disambiguation page. The Isolation link is pointless, as it merely points to another disambiguation page which says nothing about "Purdah". The "Curtain" in persian and Urdu and hindi link doesn't belong, as disambiguation pages don't like to foreign language terms unless the term has been adopted into english. The final two entries could belong if we had any articles on these two, or if it appears likely that we will eventually have articles on these two concepts. Are there any articles on these two topics that you're aware of?

The main issue is that disambiguation pages are not just meant as a way of listing every possible usage anyone can think of for a term, but instead are a way of disambiguating between Wikipedia articles which we have, or are likely to have, which an english speaking reader would likely be searching for using a particular term. --Xyzzyplugh (talk) 16:35, 29 April 2008 (UTC)

OK hold on. Let me look into this before you revert again. Fowler&fowler«Talk» 19:04, 29 April 2008 (UTC)

OK. Fair enough. I agree that the only useful information in the dab page are the last two entries. It would still be good to have that information available somewhere (in the absence of Wikipedia pages for those entries). Redirecting the dab page removes that information. What is the best way of making it available? Fowler&fowler«Talk» 19:16, 29 April 2008 (UTC)

Perhaps we could create separate articles for the two entries. I just did a google search, and found http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/ukcorrespondents/homefront/mar07/budget.htm which is an article about what he is calling the "budget purdah", which is what the first entry is referring to. We could use this as a source for an article, Budget purdah. This link also mentions it [1], and there are plenty of other sources for it.

I'm not sure if the 2nd entry is really a legitimate topic, though. I found this source for it [2], but it appears, at least via a quick google search, that this blogger has made the term up himself and that other than his usage of it, the term "purdah" is not really used in this sense in the UK. --Xyzzyplugh (talk) 20:25, 29 April 2008 (UTC)

Yeah, I agree with you. Budget purdah is the only one deserving a separate page. The OED has this entry for it (although it doesn't specifically use the expression "budget purdah"): In extended use: seclusion; isolation; secrecy. Chiefly in in (or into, out of) purdah.

In quot. 1992: with reference to the tradition (abolished in 1993) that in the period during which a budget statement was being prepared the Chancellor of the Exchequer might not answer questions relating to it. (1992 Financial Times 22 Feb. p. III/3 February is the month for pre-Budget speculation. The Chancellor retreats into purdah, and everyone tries to guess what he will announce.) Would you like to take a stab at creating that page? And perhaps at the top of the main purdah page we could add: see also budge purdah. 21:53, 29 April 2008 (UTC)

I've created Budget purdah. It is not very good, as I'm not much for encylopedic style writing. I've got 3 references listed in it, though, so it should at least be able to avoid being deleted. --Xyzzyplugh (talk) 06:29, 30 April 2008 (UTC)

It's great for a stub. I'll try to add some stuff in the coming days. Thanks very much for creating it! Regards, Fowler&fowler«Talk» 07:43, 30 April 2008 (UTC)