THE economic skyscape seems forever gloomy, so when two shafts of sunlight break through, we are sure to appreciate them. First, it was like a blast from the past to see a political leader in a hard hat taking a tour of a newly opened industrial plant. Indeed, this was actually a reopened plant that was meant to have been Scotland’s last major steelworks.

Motherwell’sDalzell plate mill was mothballed by Tata Steel last year, along with the Clydebridge plant in Cambuslang, at a cost of 225 jobs. However, it has been reborn, thanks to a team effort between the Liberty House steel company and the Scottish Government.

Following the Tata plant’s closure, Nicola Sturgeon’s administration set up a task force to secure a new future for the facility. The reward for such decisive action was the First Minister having a tour of the reopened plant yesterday.

More importantly, Liberty has hired 120 staff, including many former employees, and this could soon increase to 200. There is also hope of the Clydebridge plant reopening, possibly to manufacture towers for wind turbines. Dalzell itself will bring in £15 million a year to the local economy, according to Liberty’s estimates.

Meanwhile, in another town with a proud industrial past, a brighter future could be on the horizon with the proposed gifting of a former whisky bottling plant to a regeneration project with potential to create 1,000 jobs. Diageo, which closed its Johnnie Walker factory in Kilmarnock four years ago, has offered to donate the 23-acre site plus £2m to an ambitious project for homes, offices, leisure facilities and a conference centre. After the much criticised closure, this attempt to leave a “positive legacy” is most welcome.

It may not be the case that every cloud has a silver lining. But perhaps we may say that at least two over the often grey Scottish skyscape have parted to let in some sunlight.