Is the Booker Prize really being dumbed down?

Claims that the Man Booker is sacrificing literary merit on the altar of readability miss the whole point of the prize. 

The Man Booker Prize would be a dull thing (except for the winner) if it didn’t provoke discussion. No discussion, no controversy, no interest – not very much, anyway. A good row gets people talking, and pleases the sponsors. Even when there is no serious disagreement, with judges coming close to blows and the decision not being reached until the dinner guests are arriving, it’s become customary for one or two of the panel to break silence and offer a few remarks calculated to stir things up. Omertà is no longer the rule, as it was when I was a judge 25 years ago. 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booker-prize/8829213/Is-the-Booker-Prize-really-being-dumbed-down.html