Here's a combination of various suggestions to hopefully begin to close this matter:
1) Go with Gé's suggestion and rename our candidates to x.x.x-FF and x.x.x-CF respectively.
2) TC has no power to block FF - doesn't make sense to do so.
3) TC has power to block CF, subject to be overruled by a vote should a majority feel it is not critical enough.
4) No matter which way we enter CF, it takes an informal vote on the ML to drop back to FF for major discovered bugs - but any single developer can request and be granted a formal vote.
Andrew, would you still be willing to run for TC and continue the absolutely fantastic work you've done there given these, assuming everybody would agree to them?