By WILLIAM CLARK,

Scottish Political

Correspondent

THE Scottish National Party made clear yesterday it is prepared for a

bitter war of attrition against Labour in the Glasgow Central

by-election with a spirited defence of MP Mr Jim Sillars ''Uncle Tom''

gibe.

Candidate Mr Alex Neil, who hopes to benefit from the Govan effect,

said the attack on Labour Shadow Scottish Secretary Mr Donald Dewar was

''fair political comment.''

Labour, Tories, and Democrats had combined since to retaliate against

Mr Sillars, calling him ''Hitler,'' ''Idi Amin'' and the ''Bully boy of

Govan.''

Mr Neil added: ''It is clearly a case of the pot calling the kettle

black. I regard it as fair political comment on the role that Mr Dewar

is fulfilling in Scotland today.

''He is trying to undermine Scottish self-consciousness. I feel he

would prefer a Thatcher Britain to a Scotland independent in Europe.''

Mr Gordon Wilson, SNP chairman, said: ''In any case it is remarkably

mild compared with some of the things I have heard at our conference.''

The SNP intends mounting what it described as ''a modern, progressive,

and futuristic'' campaign on refusal to pay the poll tax, poverty and

deprivation, and its independence in Europe theme.

It also hopes to use Labour leader Mr Neil Kinnock's intervention to

permit the Budget and the vote by Labour MPs to allow English members on

to the Scottish Education Bill as evidence of Labour's impotence.

Mr Neil said: ''There is now active collusion between the watered-down

Tories who lead the Labour Party and the official Tories who try to do

down Scotland and the Scottish people.''

He claimed the Labour leadership was out to lower the horizons of the

Scottish people to disguise its inability to defeat Thatcherite policies

in Scotland.

Both men claimed the SNP's campaign to build a ''Can pay, won't pay''

army of 100,000 against the poll tax had been highly successful but said

there would be no publication of the details of the public petition

until after the beginning of July when the first quarter's payments were

due.

There would be around 500,000 non-payers which was ''a loud and clear

message from the people of Scotland'' and would bring a clear defeat for

Mrs Thatcher who would eventually be forced to legislate for a poll tax

replacement.

The refusal to release details of the SNP's army of non-payers seems

to see it swathed in the same mists that enveloped the rebel Labour

Committee of 100's efforts to bring about non-payment.

Mr Neil denied there was any mystery about the whereabouts of the

SNP's army which would be wheeled into sight ''at the right time in the

battle.'' It was still the intention to make the poll tax uncollectable

with the acid test being how many did not or refused to pay.

* The Labour short leet for the Glasgow Central by-election will

include Mrs Ann McGuire, the favourite who lost out at the last hurdle

at Govan. Labour's national executive vetting committee interviewed all

seven nominated candidates at the Scottish Labour headquarters in

Glasgow yesterday and selected a leet of three.

The local party will tonight decide from former regional councillor

Mrs McGuire, who is backed by Hutchesontown-Kingston branch and the Nupe

and GMB unions; Scottish executive member Mr Mike Watson, backed by

Central-Calton branch and his union, Manufacturing, Science and Finance,

and Mr Archie Graham, nominated by building trade union UCATT.