Feature: Labor pains for Britain's main opposition as Pied Piper outsider leads the field

The battle for the heart of soul of Britain's main opposition Labor Party is set to start in earnest, with a noon deadline Wednesday for new recruits. Then, just 48 hours later around 300,000 members and supporters start to receive ballot papers to decide who should lead the party to take on the ruling Conservatives.

The choice seemed easy with three loyal front-line politicians bidding to succeed Ed Miliband who led Labor to a humiliating defeat in May's general election.

Then a pied-piper of politics entered the race at the last minute and sparked one of the biggest ever upsets in British politics.

The three hopefuls centered their credentials on appealing to both working class families as well as "middle Englanders", essential if Labor is to grab the keys to 10 Downing Street in 2020.

Left winger Jeremy Corbyn started the race as a no-hoper, with the bookies offering 200-1 on him winning.

As Labor officials started the task of posting ballot papers Corbyn has emerged as the favorite to win the job, with the odds slashed to virtually even money.

Corbyn has found support among young people, eager to follow a man who speaks their language. He wants to scrap university and college tuition fees, and start talks on re-nationalizing railways and utility companies. But his main plank is an end to austerity which has hit low-income working class families.

Much to the horror of "New Labor" Corbyn wants a debate about restoring "clause four", one of the party's founding ideals when it was established in 1918.

In the 1990s, the then Labor leader Tony Blair led reforms, including ditching Clause 4, which called for common ownership and equitable distribution of the fruits of industry. In 1997 Blair won a spectacular victory, securing Labor rule of the British Parliament until 2010.

Ironically Corbyn's name was included because some lawmakers wanted to ensure the leadership debate was as broad as possible. They never expected him to stand a chance of winning.

Corbynmania has attracted thousands to public meetings, causing a frenzy not seen for years in British politics.

He has also won backing from a number of the biggest trade unions in Britain.

For the first time, the Labor leader will be chosen by one-member-one-vote, ending the power of trade union barons to use block votes to back favored candidates.

Labor has also allowed a new class of party follower, registered supporters. Just three pounds to register will buy people a vote, fuelling speculation many opposition Conservatives are buying votes to help Corbyn win, in the belief his success will keep Labor from Number 10 for many years.

Challenging Corbyn for the job are former Labor shadow cabinet members Andy Burnham and Yvette Cooper, as well as a fourth lawmaker, Liz Kendall. The hope among party faithful is that Cooper or Burnham will win, and Corbynmania will just disappear.

The answer will come in September, with the ballot closing on Sept. 10 and the victor announced two days later. Some say Corbyn has unleashed a thirst for old Labor values that will continue to grow. Endit