One or Many?

Over at Theogothic's Blog, is written:

If society is ruled by only one ruler, and assuming that ruler is a tyrant and madman, then it only follows that you will have fewer people oppressing you. On the contrary, with a democracy’s tyranny of the majority, you have many people oppressing you with their “compassion” and bureacracies.

Yes, I know a monarch can employ secret police but so can a democracy. And the secret police of democracies and socialist republics have been far worse than those of monarchies.