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No, this is by design.

Why?

> $URL and $URL?$SPURIOUS_GARBAGE are actually the same URL

They are not, in fact, even if you observe getting the same outcome from using both.

You are pedantically correct, the least useful kind of correct

If it didn't recognize them as distinct URLs, a significant percentage of links would be rejected as having already been submitted. Http://site.com/article.php?id=1234 and http://site.com/article.php?id=5678 may be two legitimately unique articles.

Then it's not $SPURIOUS_GARBAGE, is it?

My point is that it's not exactly rocket science to add an if/case statement in the Submit script that checks whether the URL being submitted is on a list of domains for which the '?' and anything after it should be disregarded.

'Twould also be great if it recognised that www.bbc.co.uk and www.bbc.com are effectively the same site.

I think you underestimate how hard this is, especially since your suggested solution would be a maintenance nightmare.

Also the problem isn't so bad to invest the non-trivial amount of time in it to fix it.