But when Mr Osborne drew up his plans to cut public borrowing, he did think he could count on the private sector - especially private sector demand from the rest of the world - to fill most of the gap.
The world's best, the world's hardest-working and the world's most ambitious are still coming our way.
Compared with what Ferguson has done as the leader of the most famous team in the most prominent professional league atop the world's most participated-in sport, all comparisons crumble.
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Meanwhile, as banking around the world has reverted to becoming more national and less international again, the City - as the world's most open and global financial centre - has suffered.
Ferrovial's shares have lagged the Madrid stockmarket since the deal, as worries about its level of gearing in a world of rising interest rates are compounded by the reputational risk of running the world's most-loathed airport.
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The church is probably the best-organised in the world and certainly the most cost-effective.
This week Inhabitat reported live from the scene of the Solar Decathlon in Madrid as 17 stunning solar-powered houses competed for the title of the world's most energy-efficient prefabricated house.
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This is the first product announcement for Apple -- the world's most valuable company -- under the direction of its new CEO, Tim Cook.
They say he lacks -- McGurk lacks the leadership and management experience necessary to lead America's largest embassy in one of the most volatile -- the world's most volatile regions.
But both sides need to cool off before they further damage what is arguably their - and the world's - most important bilateral relationship.
Against the odds, with 1% of the world's population, 14% of the world's most highly-cited papers come from UK-based research.
GM's descent into pointlessness has occurred despite its status as one of the U.S.'--and the world's--most heavily subsidized companies.
The Hummer is a civilian variant of the U.S. military's Humvee - the world's most advanced multipurpose and biggest-selling military vehicle of its class.
If China is the world's most efficient workshop, perhaps it does not also need to be the world's most cutting-edge laboratory.
"The action taken today ensures that BT continues to recoup the cost of providing wholesale internet access, and that UK consumers continue to benefit from one of the world's most competitive dial-up internet access markets in the world, " said Oftel director general David Edmonds.
Malik, in his interview with CNN, said allowing the wives to be interviewed should make clear to the United States that Pakistan has nothing to hide -- and put to rest any suspicions that the world's most-wanted terrorist might have had a support network inside the Pakistani government, military or intelligence services.
The British invented - or at least laid down the modern rules for - many of the world's most popular spectator sports, including cricket, tennis, golf, rugby and football.
For more than a decade, the world has operated under an economic model in which most of the world under-consumed while becoming dangerously dependent on exporting to a gluttonous, debt-ridden American consumer.
Eurozone banks can't borrow in dollars - the world's most important currency - from commercial sources.
Apple, not to state the obvious, is probably the most closely-watched, most intensely-scrutinized company in the world.
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We have the best workers in the world, we got the best universities in the world -- (applause) -- we've got the most dynamic economy in the world, but we can't be afraid of the future.
The new e-mail client offers support for the world's most popular email providers-including Gmail, Microsoft Exchange, Hotmail and more.
The inquisition of the world's most high-profile, richest cricketers had begun in right earnest with one channel unsparingly highlighting the "villains" of the team.
Stepping outside of the laboratory and re-entering the real world, most people probably wouldn't volunteer to be in a "capped-income" group.
The most iconic example is the Coca-Cola Company's attempt to reformulate the world's most popular soft drink on April 23, 1985 - "a day that will live in marketing infamy", according to the company's website.
The number of temples is overwhelming, but so is the media's indifference to this aspect of the city, as is their consistent tendency to sell the world the most glamour-focused, profane vision of New York.
The track at Whistler, which is shared by the sports of luge, skeleton and bobsleigh, already has a reputation as one of the fastest - and most dangerous - in the world.
The clan that controls the Hyatt hotels empire is one of the wealthiest in the world--but by no accounts is it the most cohesive.
From the biggest ad agencies in the world to the most cutting-edge digital idea shops and deliverers, digital media has become one of the most cost-effective methods of reaching an audience.
And now the 46-year-old is apparently among the favourites to succeed Henry, another Kiwi who has coached Wales, when he relinquishes his post - one of world rugby's most prestigious coaching roles - after the World Cup in New Zealand.
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