re: 'This will satisfy nobody'
"Yep. I noted that the minority on the committee--presumably not of Blair's party--objected vehemently."
Blair is leader of Labor Party. The labor party is the Left. Most Conservative supported Blair's decision. I saw as least part of the hearing on the telly. The committee seems fairly well balanced- wack jobs and reasonable people, and the witnesses were also balanced mix- some professional, others with an axes to grind.
If anything, in this type of situation, Blair would have had a disadvantage.