How minimal and commonplace can a quotation or allusion be, and still be traced back to its source with some degree of confidence? Labour’s adoption of “For the many not the few” as its election slogan provoked comments on the Twitter (e.g. from Jonathan Freedland of the Grauniad) about whether Jeremy Corbyn realised he was quoting Tony Blair’s revised version of the infamous Clause IV – doing away with references to the common ownership of the means of production etc. – followed by the argument from Phillip Collins of the Times that this was actually taken from Pericles’ Funeral Oration, the famous line (as included in the preamble to the draft European Constitution!) that “our constitution is called a democracy, because it is administered for the sake not of the few but of the many [or: of the whole people]” (2.37).
I don’t actually recall any discussion, back in 1994/5, of the possible sources of Blair’s new wording, and I haven’t found anything helpful on the internet – any suggestions or information gratefully received! I’d always vaguely assumed it had some connection to Shelley’s The Masque of Anarchy – “We are many – they are few” – which on reflection seems unlikely, but does highlight the fact that the words and phrasing are so vague and conventional that it’s difficult to make a definite link to anything. What makes the Thucydidean line distinctive is the whole phrase, defining democracy in opposition to oligarchy (even when this is problematic; one C19 French translation preferred “our constitution is called ‘popular'” because of the negative connotations of democracy at the time). Blair and Corbyn aren’t talking about democracy as a system but about how a democratic society should be managed (implying that the institutions alone aren’t adequate, which looks less like a Periclean claim that a Cleonic one…); why should they look back to Pericles at all?
In the absence of further information, I’m sceptical that this is a quote or reference, rather than a very banal rhetorical trope (I mean, is *any* western political party ever going to claim to represent the few? Rather, they simply redefine the many to suit their own agendas). In which case the more interesting questions are about the process of attribution – is this another sign of the creeping Americanisation of a British political discourse, or of the ongoing infiltration of it by Thucydides, references to the Thucydides Trap and all (which, is, of course, simply a more specialised version of Americanisation)? Freedland’s original tweet has a certain ‘Gotcha!’ tone – hey, bet Corbyn doesn’t realise he’s quoting the accursed Blair! – whereas Collins seems less concerned to defend Corbyn than to deny Blair credit for coining the phrase (which is fair enough)…
Sphinx 
The Masque of Anarchy line is “Ye are many – they are few” – I think it’s supposed to be Hope calling to the people of England. It could have been an intentional echo on Blair’s part, though I would prefer to think it was unintentional, since I love Shelley and this poem is far more radical than anything the Labour party has said since 2003… Interesting questions about attribution, though, and I wonder how social media has influenced our perceptions of references and allusions in political discourse. My (very superficial) impression is that most politicians are a lot more wary of using ‘learned’ quotations, thanks to the potential for ridicule online.
But then, Trump happened, so who knows whether ridicule is even an issue these days?
Thanks – serves me right for relying on memory rather than checking… So far, no one who was at all involved in the debates back in 1994-5 has any recollection of discussing literary or classical quotes.
In a speech today, Corbyn talked about resisting attempts to divide the young and the old, which reminded me of Alcibiades’ comments in VI.18; that, and the slogan ‘For the Many, not the Few’ emblazoned on the backdrop, for me imparted to the proceedings a somewhat Thucydidean air.
Interesting – and, yes, a lot of the debate about different voting patterns among young and old has felt quite Nicias-like – but I’m still not convinced that there’s any actual Thucydides influence here…
As any fule no, the lines from Shelley are quoted on the back cover of the album “Sound Affects,” by The Jam (1980??), and were lifted thence; although John Major also used the phrase in a speech which is quoted somewhere in his autobiography.
This fule didn’t – I was more of the Style Council era. Thank you! Question remains open whether Shelley took it from Thucydides or not – there were certainly other early C19 radicals familiar with the Funeral Oration, but no evidence of a direct influence as yet…