pyclip

#!/usr/bin/env python

import re
import sys

# First try with GTK
s = None

def get_selection_gtk2():
    # print("Trying GTK2")
    import gtk

    primary = gtk.clipboard_get(gtk.gdk.SELECTION_PRIMARY)
    if not primary.wait_is_text_available():
        return ''
    return primary.wait_for_text()

def get_selection_gtk3():
    # print("Trying gi.repository Gtk")
        import gi
        gi.require_version('Gtk', '3.0')
        from gi.repository import Gtk, Gdk

        primary = Gtk.Clipboard.get(Gdk.SELECTION_PRIMARY)
        if not primary.wait_is_text_available():
            sys.exit(0)
        return primary.wait_for_text()

def get_selection_qt():
    print("Trying Qt")
    # In Python2 QApplication is inPyQt5. QtCore
    # from PyQt5.QtCore import QApplication

    # In Python3 QApplication is in QtWidgets
    from PyQt5.QtWidgets import QApplication

    app = QApplication(sys.argv)
    qc = app.clipboard()
    return qc.text(qc.Selection)
    # Use qc.Clipboard if you want the clipboard selection

def get_selection_tk():
    try:
        # Python 3 import:
        import tkinter
    except ImportError:
        # Python 2 import:
        import Tkinter as tkinter

    tk = tkinter.Tk()
    tk.withdraw()
    s = tk.selection_get()

    # In Tk, you have to create a window to get the selection,
    # but you don't have to show it.
    tk.update() # Stops a few errors (clipboard text unchanged, command line program unresponsive, window not destroyed).
    tk.destroy()

    return s

def fix_links(s):
    """When running this to paste URLs, it's helpful to stitch together
       multiple lines.
    """
    # eliminate newlines, and any spaces immediately following a newline:
    return re.sub(r'[\r\n]+ *', '', s)

def get_selection():
    debug = False

    if debug:
        import traceback

    # The order in which to try toolkits:
    tries = [
        ("GTK2", get_selection_gtk2),
        ("GTK3", get_selection_gtk3),
        ("Tk",   get_selection_tk),
        ("Qt",   get_selection_qt),
    ]

    selection_string = None
    for t in tries:
        try:
            selection_string = t[1]()
            if debug:
                print("Success with %s" % t[0])
        except Exception as e:
            if debug:
                print(traceback.format_exc())
                print("^^^^^^ Couldn't use %s" % t[0])

        if selection_string != None:
            break

    if selection_string == None:
        print("Nothing worked, sorry")
        sys.exit(1)
    else:
        print(selection_string)
        sys.exit(0)

if __name__ == '__main__':
    get_selection()